


Droids and Desserts

by midnightdrops



Category: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon
Genre: Alternate Universe, Drama, F/M, Humor, Romance, Sci-Fi, War AU, droid au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-03
Updated: 2017-11-25
Packaged: 2018-04-24 15:49:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 20,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4925656
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/midnightdrops/pseuds/midnightdrops
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mamoru has always considered himself a creature of habit and predictability. He enjoys working as a genetic engineer, the company of his friends, and knowing that the war against Tomoe Industries is going well for Earth Biotech, the good side of the planet.</p><p>That is, until his company's most important project, a little droid named SRNT-3421, is put under his care.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> (Or, an AU where Usagi is a droid created in the biotech company Mamoru works for as a weapon for the war against Tomoe Industries, and he's given responsibility for her. I was a little bit inspired by a certain episode of The Twilight Zone. This may or may not be regularly updated. It probably won't. Bear with me, though - I have tons of ideas for this story!)
> 
> (Also if anyone has a better title, please tell me! I can't for the life of me think of good fanfic titles.)

Mamoru Chiba hated surprises.

More than surprises, he hated his nosy coworkers, who thought that sticking their heads in private business was very much their number one priority. He preferred to keep his personal life private and would only share information he deemed appropriate enough to tell to random strangers. Working at Earth Biotech as a genetic engineer was already a demanding job, but no surprises popped up. He liked keeping things quiet and predictable, and that was that.

Which is why, when his friends Motoki and Zoisite presented him with a birthday card and small envelope during their lunch break, he let out a quiet yet genuine "thanks", content and thankful with them laying low about this certain day of the year.

The two watched him read the card ("happy birthday, oldie") and open the envelope with seemingly impatient anticipation, and his suspicion rose. He shook the envelope, but there was no noise.

Was this a joke?

He was about to ask his friends what was going on when a small receipt fell out of the envelope. Mamoru felt his stomach plummet as he recognized the familiar font and structure.

It was a purchase receipt.

"You bought me a droid?!"

"Yes!" Zoisite said excitedly, beaming with self-satisfaction, "Mamoru, your apartment's style is getting pathetic. You need someone to liven it up!"

"Then I'll get an interior designer, not a droid!"

Zoisite's mouth twisted into a scowl, "You're not being very appreciative."

"Zoi--"

"It was actually the boss' idea!" Motoki cut in, "She mentioned how Tomoe was creating a mass-super-weapon for the war, and how we needed one of our own."

Mamoru nodded, his glare softening, "Yeah, I remember - the 'Messiah project'. I helped perform tests for that project."

"Yep. She said that it was going to be a very sensitive droid, though - with more power than a usual senshi droid," Motoki shrugged and downed his iced tea, "So they're going to need someone to look after and care for the thing - you know, make sure its' DNA is replicating itself properly, their chaperone proteins are correctly folding other proteins - the works."

". . .so you mentioned me?!" Mamoru demanded, still not grasping the situation.

Zoisite shrugged, "Actually Nephrite told the boss how you were the best genetic engineer he knew, so Ms. Meioh put you in charge. Effective a few days ago."

Mamoru just stared at them in disbelief, "But Nephrite's in customer relations - what does he have to do with--" he was at a loss for words now. "I just don't--"

"You're welcome." Zoisite said grinning, finishing the last of his lunch.

"I mean we can always tell Setsuna you don't want to take the task," Motoki said, frowning, "But she'd probably be upset because it's a huge responsibility."

"I didn't even volunteer--"

"Mamoru, seriously?" Zoisite frowned, crossing his arms, "You're the lead genetic engineer at Earth Biotech, and you can't show an important droid the ropes? Is your pride that fragile?"

Mamoru opened his mouth to reply but then jammed it shut.

Yep, he hated surprises.

~*~*~*~*~*

As the weather cooled down a bit, so did Mamoru's temper about the whole droid situation. He figured it wouldn't hurt to work it out, to be responsible for a droid. After all, he had babysat a few friends’ children before, so how hard could it be? Droids were like children -  they were both susceptible to injury, had a human-like exterior, and listened without question.

At least, the kids he babysat did. He had heard multiple complaints from other co-workers of their young ones asking about where exactly babies came from.

As August came to an end, Mamoru's work had begun to consume more of his time, as reports and layouts had to be taken back home for review. The Messiah project had become even more of a priority when news that Tomoe Industries' weapon had reached midway point in production. His work required almost constant 24-hour focus, and he found himself arriving at Earth Biotech a few hours earlier than the other workers and leaving once the security guard told him they were about to lock up. Needless to say, Mamoru was exhausted.

"Whoaaaa," Jadeite, Mamoru's friend in Advertising, gaped at him one day at lunch in mid-September, "Mamoru, what's up with your eyes?"

"Oh, those are the abs he's built from carrying bags." Motoki joked. When no one laughed, he crossed his arms, pouting, "Oh come on, it's funny! Bags under his eyes? Because he hasn't been sleeping?"

Mamoru rolled his eyes but sighed, rubbing his face with his hands, "Gosh, I'm so tired."

"Mamoru, you need to sleep." Kunzite, Mamoru's friend in Research, said.

"Oh, is that what I needed to do?" Mamoru asked sarcastically, "Wow, thanks Kunzite, I had no idea I needed sleep. Did you learn that from your PhD in pharmaceutical sciences?"

"Um, Motoki's the one with a PhD in pharmaceutical sciences." Jadeite piped up, but Mamoru glared at him.

"You know what I mean."

"Hey, don't go picking on others because you're having a shitty week." Nephrite said, and Zoisite let out a loud laugh.

"Yeah, like you would know anything about that, Mr. 'I hate every useless customer in existence'."

"Mm, at least I don't go making googly-eyes at people to get promotions." Nephrite countered, and Zoisite flushed a deep red, his amused expression turning into one of anger.

"You take that back right now!"

"Don't speak so loud, Zoisite, or you may lose a few of your hairs."

"NEPH--"

"Motoki!!" two loud voices called out to him, and the six men turned to face a tall brunette and a small girl with short blue hair, both in senshi uniform, walking over and waving at Motoki, "Hey, guys!"

"Hey Mako, hey Ami,” Motoki grinned, high-fiving the taller of the two, "How's it going? How are the other droids?"

"We're doing well, thank you--"

"It's pretty boring up on the front so far," the brunette droid twisted a strand of hair from her ponytail around her index finger, rolling her eyes, "so far we've only encountered a few Daimons, but they're no match for the strongest of the senshi -  Makoto, JPTR-4401!" she smacked one palm with her fist, expression determined, and then gently gestured to the other girl with a smile, “and our smartest droid, Ms. Ami, formally known as MCRY-3471!” she held up Ami’s hand in the air, cheering loudly. Ami giggled and faced Mamoru as she pulled her arm from Makoto’s grasp.

"By the way, Setsuna says that the Messiah droid should be ready by this evening," she said excitedly, "I can't wait to meet them - Setsuna says they're supposed to be very powerful and made with the best genetics in the archives. You must be very excited to take on such a responsibility."

"Oh, uh, yeah," Mamoru nodded shortly, "Can't wait."

"Well, we were just dropping by to get a snack. Can’t have those Daimons taking over our front," Makoto waved at the men again, grinning, "We'll see ya guys later!"

"Bye!"

Once the two droids were out of sight, Nephrite raised an eyebrow, a grin on his face.

“So…?”

“What?” Mamoru asked.

“‘Very powerful’?” Nephrite leaned back, waving his arms for emphasis, ‘Made with best genetics in the archives’? Mamoru, do I have to spell it out for you?”

It seemed like yes, he did.

“So what?”

Nephrite smacked his forehead with his palm, “Someone explain it to him before he loses more brain cells.”

“What Mr. Jealous here means to say is that this is a huge, awesome opportunity.” Zoisite explained, a proud smirk on his face.

Mamoru frowned, “I was pushed into it without permission.”

“Once again, you’re welcome.”

~*~*~*~*~*

Mamoru had been lucky enough to take a quick four-hour nap during his shift, as his fellow genetic engineers said they’d cover for him - he “needed his rest for meeting the Messiah”.

His friends, unfortunately, were not so nice and insisted on following him to meet the new 'Messiah' droid in Setsuna's headquarters, as it was "new technology and this sort of opportunity cannot be missed, Mamoru".

"What do you think they'll look like?" Jadeite asked, expression excited, "Back in advertising, we're having bets! People are saying that it's gonna be a girl since all the senshi droids are female."

"Well, the senshi certainly are strong," Kunzite noted, "Our male weapons have only been strong in the physical sense, rendering them useless against Tomoe's magic Daimons."

"Whoever they are, I just want them to end this war," Zoisite rolled his eyes, "I'm tired of having to hear Nephrite complain about customers being stupid all day."

"Hey!" Nephrite yelled, glaring at Zoisite, "At least I don't boast of my meaningless victories!"

"You--"

"You guys are doing nothing to calm my nerves," Mamoru interjected, now feeling uneasy with all of this.

Having to take care of a droid. . .again, how hard could it be? It was a weapon, not a person, so it didn't matter, right? He interacted with senshi droids all day and, despite their human-like demeanor, he had enough experience to distinguish human from machine.

It wouldn't be too bad, right?

"Mamoru!" Setsuna greeted him when he knocked on her door, and let them all in, "So glad you are doing this for Earth Biotech."

"Seems like I didn't have much of a choice," Mamoru shrugged, but gave her a small smile, following her into her office.

"Well, the company thanks you for your service," Setsuna grinned, and gestured to the seats in front of her desk, "Motoki should be bringing the droid any moment now."

"So what will Mamoru have to do for the droid?" Jadeite asked curiously.

"Mainly just introduce the droid to humanity," Setsuna replied, sitting behind her desk, "Senshi droids can be created with a pre-knowledge of the human world, but this special one has required too much focus on their genetics and abilities. Thus, there has been next to no work on Earth’s social skills or history. Their genetics are fragile too, since we rushed their regeneration, so we need a scientist watching their organs and biological structures.”

"Why not just keep them in their cell so they can rejuvenate 100%, then?"

Their boss shook her head, her expression serious, "We don't have enough time, Jadeite. We need this help now."

The door opened and Setsuna brightened, smiling at their new visitors, causing Mamoru and his friends to follow her gaze.

"Ah, thank you, Motoki!"

Standing next to Motoki was a short, blond droid, her long wavy hair reaching her knees, going past the length of the blue hospital gown she wore. Her blue eyes shone as she glanced at the rest of the people present in the small office, momentarily pausing at Mamoru. She smiled and waved at all of them.

"Mamoru," Motoki gestured between the two, "This is SRNT-3421, or just ‘Serenity’. SRNT-3421, this is Mamoru Chiba - he will be looking after you."

"Nice to meet you, Mamoru," SRNT-3421 spoke clearly, extending her hand, "I'm very excited to learn all that you have to teach me."

Sure, she was pretty, but so were the rest of the senshi. Each had its own distinctive features that made them beautiful, and this one seemed to have spotted blue eyes, bright as day that seemed to twinkle like stars. Just above those eyes was a small yellow moon symbol, which stood as proof of her stance as a droid - high priority.

"Uh, yeah," Mamoru nodded, accepting her handshake, "I'm honored, too."

The droid smiled and grasped his hand tightly, “Now, where are we going to start?”

“Erm--”

“Let’s go to Mamoru’s apartment!” Zoisite cut in.

“Zoisite!” Mamoru interjected, frowning at him.

“What?” his friend asked, twirling a strand of his mid-arm length hair around his index finger, “It wouldn’t hurt for her to get to know the place. After all, she will be living there.”

“Wait, what?”

“Yes,” Setsuna nodded and placed a hand on the droid’s shoulder, “SRNT-3421 will be living with you, Mamoru. The company is already providing you with several accommodations for her stay.”

“Though I don’t really require sleep!” the droid said, “I just need some place for charging and frequent check-ups. Other than that, I’ll be coming to and from the company with you everyday!”

“Like a companion?” Jadeite asked, “Because Mamoru doesn’t date – he stays at home and works.”

Nephrite and Zoisite burst out into laughter, and Motoki and Kunzite snorted, covering their smiles with a hand. Even Setsuna was grinning, chuckling quietly. SRNT-3421 and Jadeite were the only two who shared expressions of confusion, and Mamoru fumed quietly.

“I do too date.”

“Yeah?” Zoisite asked between laughs, “When was your last date, Mamoru? The mandatory social back in grad school?”

Nephrite clutched his stomach, wiping a tear from his eye, “Oh that was a good one.”

The droid blinked in confusion, “I’m not going to be a date, as I’m a droid, not a day of the year.”

“No, no,” Mamoru shook his head, “A date is like….going out to eat with a person that you like.”

SRNT-3421 tilted her head, still lost on the concept, “So…since you don’t ‘date’…does that mean you don’t like people…?” she asked slowly, putting the pieces together.

Now everyone in the room was laughing at the droid’s confusion, and Mamoru huffed, glaring at them. What great friends he had.

“I’m sorry!” SRNT-3421 took his hand in hers, genuine concern in her features, “I didn’t mean to cause such an uproar – I’m genuinely confused, I don’t get human traditions.”

Mamoru’s temper lowered as the droid looked up at him sadly. He began to feel like an ass – it wasn’t her fault at all that her confusion indirectly caused fun at his expense. She honestly had no idea what was going on – she was just a droid.

“No, it’s alright,” Kunzite shook his head, patting the short droid on the back, “Mamoru’s just a little sensitive.”

“I am not.”

“Shh, don’t get touchy,” Kunzite said, and turned to the droid, “We’re going to go to Mamoru’s apartment so you can get used to where you’re living – we’ll all help out.”

“Oh!” SRNT-3421 grinned, “Alright, then. I can’t wait!” she turned to Setsuna, “Goodbye, Ms. Meioh!”

Setsuna waved at the droid, a soft smile on her face, “Goodbye, SRNT-3421. I’ll see you on Monday.”

Mamoru’s friends all began talking to the droid at once, complimenting her (“Wow, your eyes are so pretty!”), filling her in on Earth’s traditions (“Mamoru snores in his sleep, sometimes”), and overall giving her the pros/cons of living with Mamoru (“Don’t ever touch the kitchen, or you’ll get a lecture instead of a demand for an apology”).

Yeah, Mamoru hated surprises.

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for your wonderful comments and kudos! I'm very glad people are enjoying this story ^^
> 
> An anonymous reader asked me a question - “how is ‘SRNT’ pronounced?” - It’s just pronouncing each letter separately - ‘S - R- N -T’. It’s supposed to sound like an awkward, “robotic” version of “Serenity”.
> 
> Enjoy chapter 2! Thanks to idesofnovember for reading it over for me ^-^ ♥

Laughter erupted from Mamoru's dimly-lit living room once again and he blinked, sleep leaving him with a slightly grouchy demeanor. He glanced at his friends, hoping none of them noticed he had dozed off on his sofa while they happily talked to SRNT-3421 next to him. She seemed just as excited as the rest of them, listening intently as they explained what Earth Biotech was and who they were, what their jobs entailed. Her eyes shone with interest as each spoke, face resting on her propped-up elbows.

"What exactly is 'coffee'?" she asked Kunzite, "it sounds like a dreamy liquid."

"I'll show you, actually," Zoisite said, standing up, "Mamoru has a wide selection of different beans, he's very proud."

"Yeah, most people are proud about their book collections," Motoki nodded, grinning, "Mamoru is well-known for his variety of coffee beans."

Mamoru rolled his eyes and faced the droid. "It's not _that_ impressive. They're just exaggerating."

"I'd love to see it, if you don't mind!" the droid was all smiles, Mamoru thought her face would break at any time, "I mean, it sounds delicious, and though droids don’t have to eat, I’d like to try."

"I like the way you think, SRNT!" Zoisite took the droid's hand and pulled her up from the sofa, tugging her towards the kitchen, "Come on!"

"Wait--!" Mamoru tried to follow them but nearly tripped over one of the three suitcases he was given along with the droid - one for her clothes, one filled with equipment for her genetic repairs, and the last had a black notebook and a few wires meant for recharging and other droid necessities. He carefully maneuvered through the maze of suitcases and followed the two blonds into the kitchen.

"...and this is the pantry."

Mamoru heard a gasp as he entered the fully-lit kitchen. He squinted at the sudden brightness and saw the droid standing there, her hands over her mouth, shocked.

"Is all of this....coffee beans?" she asked Zoisite.

"Yes!"

Nephrite laughed from behind Mamoru, and Kunzite rest a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Alright, Mamoru, it's getting pretty late," he said, "and you still have to explain to SRNT the rules of living with you."

Mamoru frowned, "I don't have any rules."

"Yeah right!" Jadeite yelled from the living room, "If anyone touches your things you clean and shine it in twenty different ways to remove fingerprints!"

"Kunzite's right, though," Nephrite nodded, and patted SRNT’s back, "It was nice to meet you, SRNT, and we'll see you on Monday."

“Thank you for telling me everything, really,” the droid shook Nephrite’s hand, “I’ll see you all on Monday.”

“Aw, she’s so adorable!” Zoisite cooed as Jadeite gave the droid a huge hug, “If Mamoru gives you a hard time about anything, don’t hesitate to call us.”

“Is it like I’m not here?” Mamoru threw his hands up in the air, “Is living with me _that_ difficult?” he faced the droid, holding his hands up in defense, “I’m not a bad person, I promise.”

“You aren’t, Mamoru,” Motoki agreed, but winked at the droid, who giggled.

Once his friends had all assured SRNT that she could call them lest Mamoru “complains about not following the house rules”, Mamoru pushed them all out, confirming that yes, she had heard them, and yes, they can leave now.

“What kind people.” SRNT said as Mamoru walked back into the living room, and she turned, glancing down at the three suitcases. “Where would you like me to take these?”

“Oh, I can carry them.” Mamoru offered, walking over to her, “You’re technically my guest, therefore I’m supposed to make sure that your stay here is comfortable here.”

“Is that how it is supposed to be?” she asked, watching him pick up the suitcases. “Do guests just allow their hosts to let them in and do all the work?”

“Well, not _exactly,”_ Mamoru half-dragged half-carried the suitcases as he walked, the droid now following him, “If the guest stays for long, then the host might start seeing the guest as a member of the household and ask them to do chores as well, such as washing dishes, clean the floor - just the usual small chores.”

SRNT nodded, watching him intently. “What if the guest stays for too long? Does the host let them do the big chores, then?”

Mamoru shrugged. “The host would probably kick the guest out, then.”

The droid’s eyes widened. “Kick them? Why would they kick them for staying?”

“No, no,” Mamoru laughed as he glanced back at her, “I mean ask them to leave. The host would ask the guest to leave, as they overstayed their welcome.”

SRNT looked down at the ground. “Oh.”

The droid remained quiet until they reached the guest bedroom, a small, white-walled room with a bed and a bathroom. Mamoru set down the suitcases and stretched a bit, his back knotted from pulling the suitcases. He then smiled at SRNT and gestured to the room.

“This is where you’ll be spending your stay here - I don’t think you’ll need the bathroom, seeing as you’re a droid, but it’s there if you need it.”

The droid walked into the bathroom, glancing around. “So…” she walked over to the shower, touching the steel knob and then pulling away at the cold exterior. “This is all mine?”

Mamoru nodded. “As long as the company needs you to stay here, everything in this apartment is open for sharing.”

SRNT smiled and took Mamoru’s hand in hers. “I really appreciate this. Thank you, Mamoru.”

“It’s no problem.” Mamoru nodded politely, gently patting her hand with his, “If you need anything, let me know. I’m going to go to bed, since it’s been a bit of a long day.”

Her smile widened. “Of course.”

“Good night, SRNT-3421.”

“Good night, Mamoru.”

The next morning, Mamoru awoke to the sound of SRNT shrieking loudly, her screams echoing throughout the hallway of his apartment. He immediately turned and half-jumped out of bed with one slipper on, and dashed to the guest bedroom. He pushed the door open without knocking, looking around.

The shower nozzle was spewing water everywhere, nearly each and every corner of the tiled floor was covered with water, and in the center was SRNT, slipping and falling on the wet floor, her expression one of distress. Water was trailing on the walls like tiny rivers, and had pooled onto the floor, forming large puddles. The droid was trying to reach the nozzle, which was flopping around on the floor, causing her to slip even more.

“SRNT!” Mamoru called out, carefully stepping over the puddles, reaching out for her, “Are you alright?”

The droid’s eyes widened at Mamoru’s arrival and she stumbled towards the shower, latching onto the lever and pushing it away. The stream of water from the nozzle ceased, leaving the droid dripping wet and the human staring at her in surprise.

“I-I can explain!” She exclaimed, carefully walking over to him, “I was just--”

SRNT slipped on a puddle and Mamoru grabbed her arm, pulling her towards him and his slightly-dry tiled spot. He winced slightly at her wet clothes pressed against his own, knowing he would have to start the laundry early this week. Mamoru couldn’t help but feel a migraine coming on as he glanced around at his disaster-stricken guest bathroom, and sighed.

 _“Remember, Chiba,”_ he thought, _“She’s like a human child. Treat her like a child.”_

He leaned over and grabbed his towel from the closet before pulling the droid towards the carpeted bedroom, handing it to her.

“You’re going to need this.”

~*~*~*

After carefully and properly explaining the function of a shower to the droid, Mamoru headed to the kitchen as SRNT-3421 dried herself and changed into her uniform from the company. He massaged his temples as the coffee brewed silently, and then looked down at the black notebook he had in his hands, the one given to him along with the droid meant for his notes on SRNT’s development. He sighed again and glanced back at the closed door of the guest bedroom. The droid was humming quietly behind the door, the muffled sound being drowned out by the hum of the coffee machine, but Mamoru still tried to hear her - it was probably the first time he had heard the sound of someone humming so happily in his apartment.

Suddenly the humming stopped and Mamoru turned to face the door, which was slowly creaking open. SRNT’s nervous blue eyes were peering out at him from the gap before she slowly stepped out. She was wearing a white and yellow sweater with the words “EARTH BIOTECH” emblazoned on it in large gold letters and black pants, the pockets of which she had stuffed her hands in completely. Her long blond hair was woven into a braid, her bangs barely covering the crescent moon on her forehead as she looked down at her shoes, avoiding Mamoru’s gaze.

“Well, we have to start with your daily function check.” Mamoru said, breaking the silence, and the droid just nodded silently.

“Lift your arms, please.”

SRNT did so without effort, raising her head a bit but still not looking up at the human.

“Curl your fingers and your wrists, then bend your elbows.”

SRNT passed through each command of the checkup without fail, as well as without looking at Mamoru. The genetic engineer finished his final notes before turning and taking out two cups from his cupboard - a white one with roses and a black one with stars on it. He held both up and shook them gently, raising an eyebrow at her.

“Well?”

SRNT glanced up at him, blinking confusedly. “Yes?”

“Which mug would you like?” he gestured at the coffee machine, “For coffee?”

“Droids don’t need to drink.”

“But you wanted to try it, didn’t you?”

Her guilty expression suddenly broke into curious thought as she frantically glanced back and forth. She frowned, raised her arm to point at one, but then dropped it, her lower lip protruding.

“Which one is your favorite?” she asked, “I don’t want to take the one you like the most.”

“I don’t have a preference, SRNT.”

“But I don’t want to burden you!” SRNT exclaimed, frowning, looking away from him, “This morning went so terribly, and I have a lump in my throat because of it! I don’t want to look at you in the eye, and--”

“That’s guilt.”

She looked up at him. “What?”

“What you’re feeling is guilt, SRNT. You feel bad for the shower accident, so you don’t want to face me because you’re scared how I would react to it.”

The droid looked down at her feet again, her toe nervously twisting on the ground. “I still don’t feel good.”

“Look,” Mamoru put the mugs on the counter and placed a hand on her shoulder, “Don’t worry about this morning’s incident. It could’ve happened to anyone.”

SRNT’s expression brightened, nodded and pointed at the star one, holding it like a precious gift when Mamoru placed it in her hands. The coffee machine announced the prepared coffee with a loud beep and he pulled the pot off of the warming plate.

“Here,” Mamoru filled the droid’s mug a quarter-full, “Try a little bit first.”

The droid raised the cup and slowly took a sip before blinking and smacking her lips frantically.

“I-It’s….it’s...interesting.”

He laughed and set his mug on the counter. “Hold on.”

Mamoru opened the cupboard and took out a small creamer and jar of sugar, adding a spoon of each into the droid’s mug. He mixed the contents together and handed it back to her. “Try this.”

SRNT took the cup hesitantly and slowly raised it back to her mouth, taking another sip. She grinned weakly and nodded, setting her cup on the counter.

“It’s not...bad.”

Mamoru laughed and pat her on the head. “Don’t worry, we’ll find a drink that you like. In the meantime,” he poured his coffee into a thermos and grabbed his lab coat and bag from the sofa, “We have to get to Earth Biotech.”

SRNT watched curiously as Mamoru explained to her the mechanism and usage of his motorcycle, her expression one of shock once he pushed the lever with his foot and the engine roared to life.

“You’re gonna need this, too,” Mamoru handed her his helmet.

The droid blinked as she rotated the helmet, examining every corner of it. “What is it?”

“It’s meant to protect you during the ride.”

“You mean it’s dangerous?” SRNT’s eyes widened as she took a few steps back, “I-I don’t think I want to.”

“It’s safe, I promise.” Mamoru gently put the helmet on the droid’s head and fastened the buckle before patting her on the back gently. He mounted the motorcycle and gestured to the seat behind him. The droid hesitantly sat behind him and let out a yelp at the motorcycle’s engine roared again, grabbing Mamoru’s shoulders.

“M-Mamoru, I don’t like this!”

“It’s okay, it’s okay!” he assured her over the loud engine, and turned slightly to face her, “Just hold onto me tightly, and I promise nothing will happen to you.”

The droid looked up at him, frowning as she wrapped her arms around Mamoru’s waist. “Do you promise?”

Mamoru grinned. “Until I’m old and wrinkly.”

SRNT opened her mouth to ask what that meant, but she was cut off as Mamoru’s motorcycle lunged forward, a surprised shriek escaping her lips instead.

~*~*~*

“Good morning, SRNT.” Motoki greeted as Mamoru and the droid entered the pharmaceutical lab. Multiple researchers had turned to glance at the new individual present, a few whispering among one another about SRNT’s arrival. “How was the ride over here?”

SRNT took a deep breath, and for a brief moment Mamoru thought she was going to start crying, but instead the droid jumped up and down, a wide grin on her face.

“It was so amazing!” she exclaimed, grabbing Motoki’s hands and jumping in place, “My hair was moving in the air, and I could feel the wind on my face! Motoki, it was like I was moving _with_ the wind or something!”

“I mean, we were only going forty miles an hour,” Mamoru noted, but smiled at the droid’s excitement. “My motorcycle is how I get to places, so you’ll be riding it a lot with me.”

SRNT let out an excited squeal and continued to jump up and down. “Yes!!!”

“Alright, now,” Motoki took the droid’s hand and pulled her gently, “There’s someone I’d like you to meet.” He pushed the button on his earpiece, turning towards it, “Please come and introduce yourself.”

A loud hum caught the attention of a few working in the lab, and Motoki gestured to a corner of the room. The teleportation pad there was surrounded by a beam of light and a shadow appeared within it, swirling inside the white tunnel. The light ended, revealing on the teleporter a droid in a yellow and orange senshi uniform, her arms up in the air and eyes closed, her long blond hair flowing from the minimal wind that the teleporter had just produced.

Motoki rolled his eyes. “What’s with the dramatic entrance?”

The droid frowned and crossed her arms, her blue eyes upset. “What was wrong with it?”

“I didn’t say anything was wrong with it, I was just asking.”

The senshi droid stepped off the teleporter, smirking at Motoki as she fixed the red bow in her hair. “I’m perfect, alright? Even you’ve been jealous of my abilities since Day 1.”

“I created _you,_ remember, Minako?”

She twirled around dramatically, her hair flowing again and briefly exposing the orange Venus planetary symbol on her forehead. “Sure, sure. Tell Artemis that.”

“I liked your entrance.” SRNT piped up, and the taller droid gestured to her, smiling.

“See, Motoki? At least _someone_ here appreciated it.” she turned to her, “Sorry about that. My name is VNUS-1011, but call me ‘Minako’.” she winked and extended her arm to the short droid, “I’m the leader of the senshi droids in Sector 1, the coolest of the senshi droids.”

SRNT giggled and accepted the handshake. “I’m SRNT-3421.”

Minako frowned, “No Earth nickname yet?” she shook her head in disapproval at Mamoru. “Tsk, tsk, Mamoru - having an Earth nickname is the most important part of being a droid.” she shrugged at the shorter droid, “Besides having kick-ass magic powers, that is. But don’t worry - it’s good that he didn’t name you, because if his name-picking is _anything_ like his fashion sense--”

Mamoru rolled his eyes. “Nice to see you again, Minako.”

Minako stuck out her tongue at him and took SRNT’s hand in hers, “Well then, I guess I’m going to take you to the Sector 1 lab, where we hang out and play video games when we’re not working out on the front.”

“Oh, okay.” SRNT glanced back and waved at Mamoru. “Bye, Mamoru!”

Mamoru pointed at Minako, “Be careful of that one,” Mamoru warned the droid, “And stay with the one named ‘Ami’ the whole time.”

“Oh hush,” The senshi droid waved her arm at him and shook her head at SRNT, “He’s just being a whiny human.”

The shorter droid giggled. “Well, I like him.”

She and Minako stepped on the teleporter pad, and waved one last time at Motoki and Mamoru, smiling at them. The teleporter pad emitted a bright light once again, and the two droids left the pharmaceutical lab without a trace of them remaining.

“She’s adorable.” Motoki noted as he turned to walk back to his fume hood while Mamoru couldn’t help but feel like he agreed, especially after what she said.

_“Well, I like him.”_

Mamoru shook his head and turned towards the exit to head to the genetics lab.

_“Remember, she’s like a human child, and you’re babysitting her.”_

~*~*~*

“Mako, what is this?” Ami asked, pointing to the tray of cookies on the coffee table as she sat down on the purple sofa, “I didn’t know today was Picnic Thursday.”

The entirety of the Sector 1 lounge smelled strongly of vanilla and chocolate chip cookies, which was a surprise seeing as most of the time the lounge had no abnormal smell, except for when Minako brought in those scratch-n-sniff magazines. Instead of pungent cologne stenches, the lounge had a rather pleasant aroma, and Ami took a deep breath, pleased with the smell.

“I, uh, made them for the Messiah.” Makoto’s voice replied nervously from the kitchen. “Kind of like a ‘Welcome to Sector 1’ greeting.”

“Why?” MARS-2671, a senshi droid in a red and purple uniform, raised a dark eyebrow, leaning back in the arm chair she was lounging in. Her legs dangled off of one of the arms, her eyes not leaving the newspaper she was reading. “Are you trying to kiss up to her or something?”

“Rei, don’t say that!” Ami scolded the senshi, but Rei laughed, shaking her head, briefly glancing at her friend.

“Ami, let’s be real - anyone who doesn’t love our Makoto is just an emotionless Daimon and just not worth our time.”

Makoto stuck her head out of the window between the kitchen and the living room, her face a bright pink as she beamed, but winked. “You don’t have to kiss up to me to have a cookie, Rei.”

The three senshi droids laughed, and Ami glanced up at the ceiling fan, watching it spin as Rei reached over and grabbed a cookie, opening her mouth to take a bite. “I wonder what she’ll be like.”

The dark-haired senshi lowered her untouched cookie and frowned at the blue-haired senshi. “What do you mean?”

She shrugged. “Setsuna said that this new ‘Messiah’ would be genetically unstable because of her rushed regeneration, and there’s been no attempts to install a pre-knowledge of human history and skills, like a normal droid, like us.” Ami sighed, “Like normal senshi.”

Rei raised an eyebrow as she swung her legs forward to sit upright in the armchair. “So you’re saying she’s like a human baby?”

Makoto’s laugh echoed from the kitchen and Ami smiled, shaking her head. “Not exactly.”

“Well, I’m sure whatever this new project is will appreciate--” Rei was cut off by the transporter pad, the bright beam of light briefly illuminating the entire lounge before two figures stepped off.

“This is Sector 1!” Minako waved at the room, grinning, “We’re the first round of senshi droids, the originals, the most fantastic of them all!”

SRNT stepped forward and took a deep breath, her eyes scanning the room with excitement. The Sector 1 lounge was a small apartment with multicolored stars and hearts decorating the walls and ceiling. Orange swirls and blue paisley were painted on the walls, and two small windows by the teleporter pad gave a view of the area outside the Earth Biotech building. A window to the right of SRNT and Minako showed potential access to another room ( _“It looks like Mamoru’s pantry”,_ SRNT thought), and next to it was a wooden bookcase, each shelf filled to the top with books of every shape and size. A wooden coffee table stood before them, the table surrounded by a purple sofa and a red arm chair, both inhabited by two senshi. SRNT noticed the occupants of the lounge were staring at her before she waved at them.

“Hello! I’m SRNT-3421--” she stopped and sniffed the air, the smell of sugar and vanilla extract clouding her senses, “What is that wonderful smell?”

Rei opened her mouth to explain. “That is--”

“Oh, my!” the short droid was next to Rei, looking down at the cookie in her hands, the one she had been meaning to eat. “What is this?”

The red senshi frowned. “It’s a cookie.”

“What is a ‘cookie’?”

“Flour, sugar, chocolate chips, butter and eggs?” Minako offered.

The droid blinked.

“They’re edible desserts, SRNT.” Ami cut in and stood up, extended her hand towards the droid, “I’m MCRY-3471, or ‘Ami’. I’m also a senshi of Sector 1.”

“Nice to meet you.” SRNT shook the senshi’s hand, her mind seemed obviously elsewhere. Ami laughed softly and gestured to the tray of cookies on the coffee table.

“You’re welcome to try one, if you’d like.”

SRNT, mistaking Ami’s gesture to be towards the cookie in Rei’s hand, excitedly snatched the cookie from the dark-haired senshi’s hand, taking an enthusiastic bite.

Rei frowned at her empty hand. “What--”

“It’s delicious!” the droid exclaimed, a few crumbs coming out of her mouth as she spoke before she covered it with her hand. “Sorry - you’re MCRY-3471? Nice to meet you!”

The blue senshi smiled. “Please, call me Ami.”

“Ami’s our intelligence base,” Minako explained, “In other words, she figures out our Daimons’ weaknesses and strengths while we’re fighting. She also wins every board game we ever play.”

Ami rolled her eyes. “I haven’t won _every_ game, Minako - just 98.75% of them. There is always a 19.75 out of 20 chance that I will--”

“What did I tell you?” Minako raised an eyebrow at SRNT, who giggled. She turned to Rei, who was watching them all with unimpressed violet eyes.

“Hello!”

Rei stood up and took the shorter droid’s hand, shaking it firmly. “I’m MARS-2601, or just ‘Rei’. I’m sub-leader.”

“Rei’s the fiery one who keeps us all in shape by yelling at us.” Minako winked at SRNT, and Ami let out a small noise, pursing her lips to prevent herself from bursting into laughter.

“Technically, _you’re_ the one who’s supposed to keep this team together, Minako.” Rei retorted, her eyes narrowing, but Minako just waved her off.

“Yeah, but people are supposed to _love_ their leader. They’re not supposed to like their sub-leader at all.” Minako stuck out her tongue. “Gosh, Rei, don’t you watch daytime television?”

“What’s all the--oh!” Makoto peeked out from the kitchen, her eyes widening when she noticed the new arrival. “Hello! I’m JPTR-4401, or ‘Makoto’.”

“Or Mako for short.” Rei smiled for the first time since SRNT’s arrival, and Minako wrapped an arm around the tall brunette.

“This lovely senshi right here is our kick-ass thunder chick!” the orange senshi pointed at the tray of cookies on the coffee table, “She’s also the one responsible for those intoxicating cookies.”

The short droid’s blue eyes widened as she jumped in place, her fingers intertwined. “Those were so amazing!”

“Oh, thank you.” Makoto flushed a bright pink as she beamed, and took both of the short droid’s hands in hers, shaking them gently. “Welcome to Sector 1.”

“Alright, now.” Minako sat on the couch and pat the seat next to her, gesturing for SRNT to join her. “First things first - Earth nickname. You need an Earth nickname, SRNT-3421.”

Rei rolled her eyes as she sat back in her chair, crossing her arms. _“Really_ , Minako? That’s the most important order of business right now?”

“What in the name of Artemis could be more important right now?” Minako questioned, feigning innocence.

“Introducing her to the Sector 1 lounge?” Rei gestured to their lounge, unimpressed. “Explain the history of the war against Tomoe? Begin training for the battlefield? Give a tour of Earth Biotech?”

Minako shrugged. “Eh, that last one’s Mamoru’s job.”

“We could teach her how to use the teleporter?” Ami suggested, and the blond senshi stood up, pointing at the blue senshi.

“Now _that’s_ a good idea!” Minako turned to Rei, an eyebrow raised. “See, _this_ is why you’re sub-leader.”

Rei groaned and massaged her temples as she felt a migraine come up.

~*~*~*

At the end of the day, Mamoru stood in the hallway leading to the multiple senshi labs, lab coat and bag in hand. The senshi labs were only one building away from the genetics labs, but required at least ten different passcodes for entry because of the heavy research and information held in the senshi labs. It wasn’t uncommon that the security guards would often report attempted break-ins done by Tomoe’s Daimons, which would always worry Setsuna.

Then again, there were people like Nephrite, who would complain that ten passcodes were too many to remember, and that “changes had to be made”.

Mamoru turned to glance at the Sector 1 lab. Most seemed to be leaving for the day, but a few genetic engineers were still working in their fumehoods, and Mamoru guessed they had the intentions of staying overnight to finish up their work. The lab nearest him smelled mostly of isopentyl acetate and Mamoru wrinkled his nose in disgust, hoping that the banana-like smell would be gone by tomorrow.

Someone in the lab suddenly started yelling profanities loudly and Mamoru turned to see that a lab assistant had mixed up the hoses for the distillation experiment, and now water was spewing everywhere in their fumehood instead of into the sink. He was briefly reminded of SRNT’s morning fiasco and suddenly felt guilty for how bad she felt, how upset she had seemed before he took her on the motorcycle. And then she was so. . . _grateful._

_“Well, I like him.”_

Mamoru shook his head. _“Chiba, she’s like a child. You’re her babysitter. She’s supposed to like you, because you’re nice to her.”_

Mamoru shook his head again and hoped that Minako wasn’t dragging SRNT-3421 around all of Earth Biotech, showing her each and every detail, because then they would never leave. His friends and colleagues had already been pestering him with endless questions, asking what it was like to live with the company’s most important project. To keep SRNT’s reputation, he responded to each question with a simple “it’s only been one day”.

Loud laughter suddenly echoed through the corridor, and the teleporter pad in the corner of the Sector 1 lab glowed, the familiar beam of light tunneling onto the pad and revealing three droids. Ami, whose arms were up in the air, blinked for a moment before smiling at the rest of the droids, bowing when SRNT applauded enthusiastically.

“Now _that’s_ how you teleport.” Ami explained to the short droid. “Tomorrow you can try it out for yourself.”

“Thank you both!” SRNT held her hand over her heart, her expression grateful, “It was nice to meet all of you, and I can’t wait to learn more tomorrow.”

“Speaking of nice to meet,” Minako pointed at Mamoru, who had noticed them, “look who’s waiting for you.”

Mamoru nodded politely at the senshi, double-taking when he saw SRNT. “What happened to your hair?”

Instead of the long braid that her hair was woven into earlier in the morning, SRNT’s hair was now styled into two buns atop her head and two loose ponytails trailing down. She twirled around, the ponytails briefly floating in the air.

“Minako did it for me.” she smiled at Mamoru, “Do you like it?”

Mamoru, unsure of whether to tell the ecstatic droid that it was the most ridiculous hairstyle ever or that it was “unique”, simply nodded.

“Yes sir, that is _Galvanic Gals’_ ‘Hot Haloed Hairstyle #46’!” Minako said proudly, jazz-hands-ing over SRNT’s head. “I’m proud to say that I was created with a proper sense of fashion and beauty.”

“We’ll see you tomorrow, SRNT.” Ami smiled and pat the droid on the back, waving as SRNT stepped off the teleporter pad.

“And let us know if _this_ guy,” Minako pointed her thumb at Mamoru, “is being a butt. Us senshi are on-call 24/7.”

“Alright, alright.” Mamoru wrapped his arm around SRNT’s shoulders, pulling him towards him, “Thank you, Minako.” What was with people and warning the droid about him? Was he _that_ bad of a person?

“Bye!” SRNT waved goodbye as the two senshi teleported away, the brief beam of light shortly illuminating the teleporter pad. She turned back to Mamoru, excitement evident in her expression as they walked out of the building.

“So, are we going to ride the motored cycle again?” she asked. “Because I think I’ve forgotten what it’s like to be on it.”

Mamoru’s lips stretched into a small grin. “It’s ‘motorcycle’ - and of course.”

“Also, can we make cookies tonight?” SRNT jumped in front of him, walking backwards as they headed to the garage.

Mamoru nodded in agreement as he unlocked the motorcycle, putting his coat on. “Alright - we can stop by the store on the way back to my apartment.”

SRNT hugged him tightly. “Thank you!”

As the two mounted Mamoru’s motorcycle, the human handed the droid his helmet, fastening it tightly over her head. He pushed the lever with his feet and the engine roared to life.

“Also, Minako says I need an Earth nickname.” SRNT said loudly over the engine, “Can we get a book of names?”

Mamoru laughed and shook his head. “Maybe not a _book_ _,_ but we can definitely try and think of one,” the genetic engineer glanced back at the droid, “Hang on tight.”

SRNT wrapped her arms around Mamoru’s waist, nodding. “Alright! ‘Til you’re old and wrinkly, Mamoru!”

Mamoru laughed again and turned to tell her what he meant earlier when he said that, but shrugged. “‘Til I’m old and wrinkly.”

And with that, the two drove out of the garage and left Earth Biotech, their first day finished.


	3. Chapter 3

 

“I rolled a six! I should have won!” 

“Jadeite, it was  _ just a game--” _

“You say that when your precious alcohol is on the line, and then we’ll see, Nephrite!”

Mamoru groaned loudly as his friends bickered an aisle over, debating over who should have won the board game they were playing before. It had been a week since SRNT-3421 began living with him, and she had suggested that for the weekend, Mamoru invite his friends over for a little get together. Mamoru, unfortunately, had made the mistake of taking her advice, and was now paying the price for it as Jadeite and Nephrite fought in the cereal aisle, their voices augmenting and attracting more and more attention. 

“Mamoru!” SRNT was now next to him, her expression excited as she held up two avocados. She still had her hair arranged in that ridiculous bun-hairstyle a week after Minako had introduced it to her, and Mamoru simply didn’t have the heart to tell her how weird he found it - his friends, however, thought it was adorable. 

“I found these two perfect avocados! They’re not  _ too _ ripe, but they’re not too firm, either, so they’re perfect for today’s lunch.”

She handed him the two fruits and he pressed gently on them, the slightly-soft texture confirming that,  _ yes _ , they  _ were _ perfect for use. He placed them in the cart and smiled at her. “Great job, SRNT. You seem to be getting good at this.”

“I did have the best teacher.” The droid beamed and then pointed towards the vegetables. “I’m going to go get some cabbage.”

As Mamoru watched SRNT leave, his smile still in place, Zoisite walked over to him, arms crossed and eyebrow raised. “Flirting with the droid, I see?”

“What?” Mamoru blinked as his grin disappeared, his face flushing. “Zoisite, she’s a  _ droid-- _ we  _ created _ her,  _ how did you--” _

“Just remember to use protection.” Zoisite winked, leaving Mamoru flustered and scowling.

Once a security guard had come over and asked that Nephrite and Jadeite keep it down lest they wanted to be kicked out, Kunzite threw a few chocolate chip cookie dough packages into the cart, a starry-eyed SRNT behind him. Mamoru frowned, but Kunzite simply shrugged.

“I’ll pay for it.”

Shoppers watched Nephrite and Jadeite as the group paid and exited the grocery store, and the two men avoided each other’s gaze, angrily mumbling under their breaths. Meanwhile, behind Mamoru, the droid was trailing Kunzite like an ecstatic puppy, holding his hand and bouncing with each step she took.

“Thank you so much, Kunzite!” she repeated over and over with each bounce. 

Kunzite chuckled, using his free hand to pat her on the back. “You’re welcome. You’re free to come over to my place and bake them any time if you’d like.”

If it were possible, SRNT’s eyes seemed to have widened even more, excitement pulsing through her. Jadeite seemed to flinch slightly, but Kunzite stood his ground, smiling at the droid. 

Mamoru, however, frowned. Cookies was  _ his _ and SRNT’s thing - it was the first thing they did after her first day at Earth Biotech, and he thought it was a pretty memorable memory. Granted, they didn’t  _ make _ the cookies, they  _ bought _ them, and sure, he wasn’t a  _ great _ cook but neither was SRNT. She was programmed to save the world, not make desserts. 

_ ‘Wait,’ _ he thought, shaking his head,  _ ‘I just said that baking desserts was something that a droid and I did. A  _ droid! _ Chiba, what are you thinking?!’ _

Mamoru’s irritated thoughts were cut off by a tug at his shirt, and he glanced down to see SRNT walking next to him, her arms wrapped around his while she continued talking to Kunzite. She leaned into him, not putting all of her weight on him but walking closer to him, and seemed to be doing it unconsciously. 

All of Mamoru’s irritated thoughts disappeared immediately, a warm feeling bubbling in his chest as he felt SRNT chatter on happily next to him. 

Once the group reached Mamoru’s apartment, preparations immediately began for the afternoon lunch. Zoisite was buzzing around the kitchen, smacking hands if anyone tried to help him, but complaining that he was doing all the work. SRNT offered at one point to help peel the bananas for the dessert, but Nephrite held her back, claiming it was a “lost cause”. 

“Says you!” Zoisite called from the kitchen. A loud  _ clang _ then echoed throughout the apartment, followed by a “DAMN IT!”. 

“Please don’t tell me he’s cooking  _ everything.” _ Jadeite pleaded as he threw the tablecloth to Motoki. “I’d rather eat Nephrite’s cooking.”

Both Nephrite and Zoisite turned, offended by the comment. “Hey!”

Motoki laughed. “I think Zoisite’s just making the salad.”

SRNT tilted her head in confusion as she walked over to the table, plates in hand. “Then why is he. . .” she nodded to the frazzled man who was rushing around the kitchen, his ponytail swishing around as he moved.

“He likes to pretend he’s in charge.”

“Ah.” 

Mamoru walked into the kitchen and opened one of the grocery bags, taking out the avocados SRNT had picked. Zoisite glanced at him, eyebrow raised.

“Are you going to keep staring at those avocados, or are you ready for them to be peeled?”

The dark-haired man blinked for a moment and then shook his head before handing it to his friend. “Sorry.”

~*~*~*

The next day Mamoru woke up to the deafening beeps of his coffee machine. Panic flooded through him as his sleep-ridden demeanor separated reality from logic in his mind and he immediately threw his sheets aside, scrambling out of the bed. Pushing the door aside, he dashed out towards the living room. 

“SRNT!!” he called out, jumping on one leg as he pulled a sock up his other foot, “SRNT, there’s a loud beeping--”

Mamoru turned to see the droid, completely dressed in her company attire and staring at him from the coffee machine, his thermos in one hand and the coffee pot in the other. She held them both up. “I was just making your coffee for today.”

The genetic engineer stood there for a moment, the algorithm “SRNT + beeping + safe” adding together in his mind. He nodded quietly and ran a hand through his hair, turning around, feeling rather embarrassed by his half-ready appearance.

“Sorry.”

As his bathroom sink faucet ran, Mamoru brushed his toothbrush rather slowly, not wanting to go out and face SRNT after that certain episode. The mint toothpaste slightly stung the inside of his mouth and he felt shame burning through his cheeks as his hand moved back and forth, wondering if it was possible for a droid to request a new owner. 

No, no. He wasn’t thinking clearly - SRNT liked him, she had said so herself when she first met Minako. One sudden, sleep-ridden reaction to an electronic coffee machine was completely normal.

Right?

“Mamoru!” SRNT’s voice called out from over the running water, “Your coffee is ready!”

Mamoru spit out the last bit of toothpaste and rinsed out his mouth, quickly wiping it clean. Whatever SRNT thought of him was irrelevant because she was a  _ droid. _ They were meant to think, but for strategic reasons, not for opinions of others. SRNT specifically was a war weapon, made for their victory over Tomoe and his Daimons, and Mamoru wasn’t supposed to question it. He was a genetic engineer chosen to look after her and keep her maintenance up.

He was her  _ caretaker. _ Nothing more, nothing less.

After changing into his work clothes, Mamoru walked into his living room and placed his bag on the kitchen counter. SRNT was leaning against the counter, holding his black notebook in her hands. She was flipping through it, scanning the contents of the page with ease, but her eyebrows were knitted together in confusion, wrinkling around the crescent moon on her forehead. “I don’t get it.”

Mamoru reached for his full thermos, popping the top open to take a sip of his coffee. “Mm?” 

“Why do droids need a daily function check and humans don’t?”   
“Humans  _ do _ have a daily function check,” Mamoru lowered his untouched coffee, “We check ourselves when we go shower.”

SRNT blinked.

“Humans go and clean themselves in the shower. It depends on when people want to shower - some people prefer to go after a long day, some prefer to start the day with one.”

“Why?”

“Because…” Mamoru searched for an answer that wasn’t completely associated with biological processes, “...we feel unclean afterwards. Microscopic particles of dust and pathogens can latch onto our skin, and although the integumentary system is capable of fighting off those pathogens, sometimes it can provide a sense of cleanliness and propriety.” 

SRNT’s confused expression hadn’t changed, but she nodded. “Why don’t droids shower?”

Mamoru raised an eyebrow. “Droids don’t need fluids or food to function. Your digestive system and immune systems far surpass those of humans, and can fight off almost any pathogen. You--”

“Yeah, but  _ why? _ ” SRNT interrupted and let out a huff and leaned forward, resting her head on the counter. “You let me have coffee yesterday. You know I didn’t need it.”

“You seemed curious, so I let you have some. It’s not like eating food is going to destroy your system.”

The droid’s frown deepened, clearly unsatisfied with Mamoru’s answer. She placed the black notebook on the counter and sighed. “Alright, let’s start.”

Mamoru nodded and opened the notebook to the current date. He unzipped his bag and reached in, rummaging through it for a pen. “Lift your arms, please.”

SRNT did so without question and Mamoru pulled out a pen, scribbling down his notes. 

“Curl your fingers and your wrists, then bend your elbows.”

SRNT groaned. “Do I have to?”

Mamoru grinned. “If you want to ride the motorcycle, then yes.”

SRNT and Mamoru were out the door within five minutes.

~*~*~*

It was a slow day at Earth Biotech, but with Mamoru’s friends, it was never  _ too  _ slow.

After he and SRNT parted their ways, Jadeite immediately showed up, greeting him with the news that someone had left their air condenser reflux on for too long, and now there was benzocaine on almost every inch of his lab’s floor. On the bright side, though, “it’s a white precipitate so it can be cleaned up easier - right?”

Mamoru didn’t feel like explaining how cleaning up that precipitate would not be fun to Jadeite, so he shrugged and hoped that SRNT was having a better time in Sector 1 than he was in his lab. 

And he was right.

“SRNT, it is time” was the first thing Minako announced when SRNT had stepped on the warp pad and reached the Sector 1 lounge. The short droid tilted her head in response, a bit nervous since she thought she was being tested over something. Ami, Makoto and Minako were sitting on the couch and Rei lounged comfortably on the red arm chair. Ami and Makoto were reading through the large book in Ami’s lap, and Rei was filing her nails. A tray of muffins was laid out on the coffee table, filling the apartment with the smell of vanilla and banana. The leader of Sector 1 pulled SRNT off the warp pad and sat her down next to her, an enthusiastic smile on her face.    
“It’s time for you to get your human name!”

Relief flooded through SRNT as she leaned back into the sofa. “Alright!”

Rei grabbed a muffin from the tray and glanced at Ami expectantly from her position in the arm chair. “Ami? Any ideas?”

“Not necessarily,” the blue senshi shook her head, not turning away from the book, “It is, after all, SRNT’s choice in the end. We can help all we want, but the nickname is ultimately her decision.”

Makoto looked up at the droid with a grin. “SRNT? What kind of name would you like?”

SRNT shrugged, looking down at her toes. “I don’t know. Mamoru hasn’t really told me much about senshi nicknames.”

“Well I’ll tell ya all about them, then!” Minako slung her arm around the droid, pulling her in, “Basically, the deal is that our names are too long - as gorgeous as VNUS-1101 is, ‘Minako’ just  _ screams _ ‘fantastic’, y’know?” she waved her hand, “It’s just better without all those annoying numbers.”

SRNT’s mouth twisted into a pout. “What  _ do _ the numbers mean?” 

Before Minako could reply, Ami’s head shot up, beaming excitedly. “I’m glad you asked, SRNT!”

Minako groaned, letting go of SRNT’s shoulders to frown at the blue senshi. “Ami, it’s such a  _ boring _ concept.”

“You would think so, Minako,” Rei said, raising an eyebrow, “You think that half the things here are boring.”

“Well, they are!  _ Pour exemple, _ ” Minako retorted, pointing at the red senshi, “Look at your uniform. Who gives a droid  _ that _ shade of red with  _ that _ purple? Clearly no smart person.”

Before Rei could launch out of her chair to smother their leader, Makoto jumped up and held her down, patting her on the shoulder. “I-I’m sure Minako didn’t mean that! Ami, tell SRNT what our numbers mean.”

Ami nodded before facing the droid. “The last digit of our four-digit numbers refer to which sector we were placed in. All of our numbers end in 1, meaning we’re Sector 1 senshi. The first digit designates the order in which we were made - Minako’s number is 1101, meaning she was the first senshi of Sector 1 to be made. Rei’s is 2601, so she was the second to be made. Mine is 3471 and Mako’s is 4401, as we were a few of the last to be made. The middle two digits are completely randomized by statistics of which numbers would be in our favor.”

SRNT thought for a moment before looking at the blue senshi. “Then why is my number 3421 if I was made last?”

Ami’s smile turned into a frown as she tapped her finger against her chin. “I’m….not exactly sure.”

“Weren’t the plans for the Messiah Project released right after you were made, Ami?” Makoto asked, leaning over to grab a muffin, “I mean, I was made after you were and before SRNT, but the plans for SRNT’s regeneration began a few months before mine. She was made after me, but the plans for her have been going on for a while.”

“That’s right,” Rei nodded, “I remember Motoki saying that the new plan was going to be put into effect right before Mako was made.”

“Well, that solved  _ that _ question,” Minako huffed, clearly not wanting to be on that subject. She turned to SRNT expectantly, holding her hands in hers. “SRNT, it’s time to pick a name.”

“I-I don’t know what to pick!” she admitted, “Why can’t you pick one for me?”

“Because it’s  _ your _ name! Now, c’mon!” Minako swiped the book from Ami’s hands and put it in her own lap, pushing it towards SRNT. “This book has a bunch of names, you just need to pick  _ one. _ ”

“But how will I--”

“You’ll know, SRNT.” Rei said, giving her a small grin. “Trust me, you’ll  _ know  _ it’s the right one”

Silence fell the Sector 1 lounge as SRNT flipped through the pages of the book, her attention completely focused on the endless lists of names that piled from page after page. Name after name entered SRNT’s system as she read, but none of them seemed to fit, none of them felt like the proper piece, like a puzzle. 

Why was it so hard?

“You can do it,” Minako whispered, resting an arm around SRNT’s shoulders, “We’ll stay here all day if we have to!”

SRNT smiled gratefully and nodded, flipping through the pages at a faster pace. 

_ ‘No……...no...no….no…..no…..ah-ha!’ _

SRNT pointed at the name and Minako leaned in, squinting slightly to read it. Ami tried to read which name SRNT was pointing to as well, but the senshi leader pushed the book aside, pulling the droid off the couch for a tight hug. “It’s perfect! Perfect for you, precious SRNT-- oops! I mean,” she winked, patting the buns atop the droid’s head, “Usagi.”

~*~*~*

As they headed towards the company garage, SRNT -  _ ‘Usagi’, _ Mamoru had to constantly remind himself - rattled on about how the name process had taken so long, and how Makoto “officially declared” she was “the warp master”.

“That’s not how air quotes work,” Mamoru remarked, “You’re using them incorrectly.”

Usagi pouted. “Well, then,” she held up each of her index and middle fingers, “‘I’m sorry’.”

“Remind me to thank Minako for teaching you what air quotes are.” Mamoru added, rolling his eyes as they reached his motorcycle. He grabbed his helmet and held it out to her. “Here.”

Usagi reached for it but then frowned, taking a step back. “Why don’t you wear a helmet?”

“Your genetics are unstable because your regeneration was rushed.” Mamoru replied, gesturing to the helmet again. “You’re not as strong as a normal droid, so in the meantime you should take safety precautions.” 

“So I’m  _ weak?” _

“No, no!” Mamoru sighed and placed the helmet on the front seat, “S-- Usagi, you  _ are _ strong, but just not as strong as a normal senshi droid. The senshi droids, like Ami and Minako, took a lot more time to create than you did. You were a higher priority, and so Setsuna wanted you to be finished as soon as possible. Your magic and abilities are still growing, but your health is still susceptible to other things.”

“In short?”

Mamoru smiled wearily. “In short - you have to be careful.”

Usagi looked at the helmet, unsure. “What about you? I’m stronger than you, why don’t  _ you _ wear it?”

Mamoru blinked. He hadn’t expected that question. “I, uh, have years of experience riding this motorcycle.”

“Anything could happen, though!” Usagi grabbed the helmet and - rather hardly - jammed it on his head, fastening the strap underneath his neck. 

Mamoru stepped away from her, taken back as he fiddled with the strap in an attempt to take it off. “SR--  _ Usagi-- _ ”

“Mamoru!” Usagi slapped his hand away from the strap, grabbing both his hands in hers. “Mamoru listen to me! Your safety is just as important as mine.”

Mamoru didn’t move but just stared at her. He wasn’t used to hearing words like those, especially from a droid. He wanted to yank the helmet off his head and put it on hers, but expression made her seem really adamant about it, and he dropped the issue. 

“Alright.”

As they rode back to his apartment, Mamoru felt Usagi hold him tighter. He didn’t say anything, though, and leaned slightly back towards her, enjoying the warmth.

 

~*~*~*

“Kaorinite.”

The call had echoed loudly through each hallway and each room, most likely to ensure that the intended recipient had heard it. Each and every member of the company did hear it, yet each being resumed working, undisturbed, as if the call was not made. 

A tall, red-headed woman stood up from her seat immediately and exited her office as the command echoed through the halls and her earpiece. She closed her office door behind her and took a few steps forward into the dark, ill-lit lab, her eyelids closed as she bowed. “Yes, Professor?”

The bespectacled professor’s back was facing her, his fume hood surrounded with multiple chemicals and beakers - yet he didn’t take his eyes off of the one test tube in front of him, slowly lowering it into the beaker on the hot plate. The clear solution in the test tube started to turn a dark pink, some of the contents solidifying and forming a white precipitate at the bottom of the pink solution. He smiled at the result, lifting the test tube out of the beaker with the same slow, careful precision he had before, placing it in a test tube rack. 

“Do you know why I called you here?”

Kaorinite didn’t move from her bowed position, her eyelids opening just slightly in order to glance up and see the professor’s back still facing her. The lab assistant had no idea as to why she was called into her boss’ lab - whenever they discussed upcoming projects or important news about the opposing side, they talked about it in his office, not in his lab.

She took a shot in the dark. “Is it about Earth Biotech, sir?”

“Earth Biotech?” Dr. Tomoe let out a small laugh and picked up the same test tube, pouring the contents of it into a vacuum filtration device and turning on the vacuum. “No, no, Kaori, it’s not about those children playing with chemistry sets.” 

Kaorinite was genuinely confused now and stood up straight. “Then, sir?”

The professor didn't respond for a few moments as the vacuum hummed, sucking the pink liquid out of the mixture. Kaorinite leaned in slightly in an attempt to see what was happening, but the professor’s lab coat was too wide for her to see anything. Soon, the professor turned off the vacuum and picked up the funnel in which his result lay, turning to face his lab assistant.

_ “This _ is why I called you here, Kaori.  _ Real _ science that should be appreciated.”

Kaorinite glanced at the result of the experiment, her purple eyes widening in realization before she nodded, a smile on her face. 

“I’ll tell the genetics department to begin manipulation immediately.”

Dr. Tomoe turned back to his fume hood. “Excellent.”

In the funnel lay a small, white egg. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, some actual plot! I’m really sorry about not being able to update - this semester has been a wild ride. 
> 
> Hope y'all are having a great February! (:


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for the kind comments and reviews! It makes me so happy that people are interested in the story (: Hope y'all are enjoying your summer!
> 
> Enjoy Chapter 4!

 

As the cold wind of November rolled around, Usagi became more curious with changes to the weather. Although she was open to learning about humans and their ways of adapting to temperature change, she had a hard time understanding the concept of winter clothes. One Saturday afternoon in particular, Mamoru found her rummaging through the clothes department of the grocery store as the genetic engineer stood near checkout. While Mamoru reviewed his shopping list, Usagi pulled out a long green scarf from the display and stared at it, puzzled.

“What’s this?” she asked, examining it from every angle. “What do you do with it?”

“It’s a scarf.” Mamoru replied, glancing over and returning to his list. “You wear it to keep your neck and face warm during the winter.”

Usagi frowned, wiggling the scarf. “How?”

Mamoru dropped his list in the cart. “Like this.” He held up one end of the scarf and gently wrapped the other end around the droid’s neck, layering the cloth until all of it was covering Usagi.

“Feel warm?”

“Warm?”

He grinned. “Do you feel like you’re more insulated, like you’re covered properly?”

“Not really,” her frown deepened. “It feels really uncomfortable, like the material is scraping my neck.”

“You mean itchy?” Mamoru offered, nodding. “That’s what happens when clothes are made of wool. Kunzite claims that the older you get, though, the more you like wool.”

“‘Older’?” Usagi pulled the scarf off of her head. “As in, having lived for a long time?”

Mamoru nodded, picking up his list to review it one last time. “Mhm.”

The blond looked at the scarf and then looked at Mamoru, who was pushing the cart towards checkout. “Does that word have anything to do with when you say ‘til I’m old and wrinkly’?”

Mamoru stiffened slightly. He hadn’t expected Usagi to ask him the meaning of the phrase, but he knew he should have expected this. Saying a phrase like that only demanded explanation, and it was now up to him to answer the question the blinking droid in front of him asked.

“It was something my parents used to say.” He shrugged, trying to pull it off as meaningless. Giving the cart a push, he propelled it towards a self-scan, propping the items down against the scanner. Usagi’s eyes widened and she threw the scarf back onto the display, following the genetic engineer.

“Wait!” she pushed the cart aside and grabbed on Mamoru’s sleeve, gently pulling it, “Your parents? You never told me about those - what is a human’s parents??”

“It's not just humans,” Mamoru grabbed the carton of milk and scanned it, placing it in one of the grocery bags. “Parents are a being's guardians, Usagi.”

Usagi blinked and picked up the small bag of coffee beans, handing it to the taller of the two. “So like….you and me? Are you my parent?”

“No!” Mamoru shook his head immediately, running a hand through his hair. “No, no - our relationship is slightly different.”

Usagi scanned her box of cookies, impatiently throwing it into a grocery bag. “Then what are parents??”

“Humans reproduce--”

“Yes, I know!” the droid was practically bouncing with excitement by now.

“--and ‘parents’ are just the names for the guardians of the offspring.”

Usagi calmed down a bit, ceasing her bouncing as she tried to put the pieces together. “So...your parents...made you?”

“Yes, Usagi.” Mamoru nodded, pressing “Pay Now” on the screen above the scanner. A small, selfish part of him hoped that the droid was satisfied with the answer he had given her, and that she would stop asking questions.

“So what does ‘’til I’m old and wrinkly’ mean?” Usagi leaned against the cart, causing it to wheel out from under her. The droid let out a small yelp and Mamoru grabbed her hand, steadying her.

“Be careful.”

“It means ‘be careful’?” the droid grabbed one of the grocery bags, her eyes gleaming with excitement.

Mamoru shook his head and grabbed the rest of the grocery bags, motioning her to follow him. “Usagi, it just means that I’m promising you whatever, that what I’m promising will be true until I’m old and wrinkly.”

“Ohhhh.” Usagi nodded, walking behind him. “.....Why would you be wrinkly when you’re old, though?”

Mamoru sighed.

~*~*~*

Mamoru and Usagi were greeted by an immediate call into Setsuna’s office the following Monday as they walked into the company lobby. The droid knocked on the boss’ door, which almost instantly swung open, revealing the Sector 1 senshi, Setsuna, and two senshi droids Mamoru didn’t recognize standing around Setsuna’s desk. Usagi waved at the Sector 1 senshi with a smile, but only Minako waved back, a weak smile on her face. The other three seemed rather downcast, and worry flooded through Mamoru. Setsuna wouldn’t have called in this meeting for checking on Usagi’s progress - that would have been done in a private meeting. The presence of Usagi’s guardian senshi and two new senshi, without a prior warning, caused sirens to start going off in Mamoru’s head, alerting him that there was a very high possibility of something going wrong, and that he wasn’t going to like it.

Usagi glanced at the two unidentifiable senshi. One was taller than the other, her short sandy hair falling over her face in a messy manner, her eyes closed as she leaned against the red office wall. She wore a dark blue and yellow senshi uniform, but it seemed slightly different in comparison to the Sector 1 senshi’s uniforms. Next to her was a senshi in a dark blue and turquoise uniform, the design a perfect copy of her partner’s. Her shoulder-length wavy aquamarine hair matched the color of her uniform, and she leaned against the wall next to the other senshi.

“Thank you for coming in, Mamoru and SRNT-3421.” Setsuna nodded as the door slid shut. “Before we begin, allow me to introduce these two senshi.”

The taller of the two senshi stood up straight, no longer leaning on the wall. “I’m URNS-1000.” The sandy-haired senshi said, opening her eyes. Usagi noticed how serious her dark blue eyes seemed and flinched slightly but shook it off.

“What’s your nickname?” the short droid asked, smiling. Minako quickly glanced at the new senshi, her expression worried, before turning to Usagi, biting her lip unnecessarily.

The tall senshi raised an eyebrow but nodded, one end of her lips turned up slightly. “Haruka.”

The shorter senshi followed her partner’s example, standing straight next to her. “I’m NPTN-1000, or Michiru,” she spoke clearly, her voice and expression calm. “Haruka and I work directly under Setsuna.”

“Which Sector are you from?” Usagi asked, frowning slightly. “Are you in Sector 1 too?”

Ami’s head shot up, panic evident on her face. “Usagi--”

“We don’t belong to a Sector.” Haruka replied without hesitation. “We work under Setsuna’s jurisdiction, for any assignment she gives us.”

“Which brings us to why I called you all in today.” Setsuna cut in, “Each of the senshi present in this room are assigned to infiltrate Tomoe Industries today at 1100 hours. It’s time for results.”

The office was filled with silence for a few moments before Haruka and Michiru nodded. The Sector 1 senshi, however, broke the quiet with protests of how this was too early. Mamoru agreed that this was unfair, but didn’t say anything, unsure of how to tell Setsuna.

“Setsuna, this isn’t a good idea,” Rei was the first to speak, leaning in, “Usagi isn’t well-trained, she hasn’t even demonstrated any use of her powers. She isn’t ready to go off and do something like this.”

“We need to get to the holy grail.” Setsuna replied, her frown deepening.

“You mean that they have it?” Ami stepped forward, her blue eyes wide, “Tomoe has it?”

“They _have_ been rather quiet out on the front,” Makoto pointed out, facing the blue senshi. “Their numbers have decreased, but that doesn’t mean they have the holy grail.”

“What’s the holy grail?” Usagi piped up, raising her hand. “Why is it so important?”

All eyes fell on Usagi for a few moments, who shrank slightly at the attention. Setsuna cleared her throat and turned to Mamoru.

“Has her daily maintenance been holding up?”

Mamoru nodded. “Yes, but--”

“Then she’s ready to go out to the field,” the boss turned to the Sector 1 senshi. “Inform SRNT-3421 of the mission as you infiltrate Tomoe Industries.”

Haruka and Michiru simply nodded before turning and heading to the door. The Sector 1 senshi each exchanged worried glances, their leader stepping forward to the boss’ desk.

“Setsuna--” Minako began, but Setsuna shook her head.

“Bring us the grail, _then_ bring me your concerns.”

~*~*~*

As worried as Mamoru was for Usagi’s well-being, the fact that she would be in the hands of the Sector 1 senshi assured him, and he was able to see her off with a smile. He wanted to go with them in case she needed maintenance, but the only people allowed on the front were senshi and other droids designed for battle - going out there as a human with no battle training was considered suicide, and he didn’t want to scar the droid with his death so early in her regeneration.

The senshi were settling in the small jet, Haruka and Minako sitting at the front and in charge of the controls. The large storage space for transportation machines was as grey as the planes and helicopters in it; no designs were present on the vehicles, giving them a mundane look. Usagi briefly remembered the Sector 1 lounge and how bright and colorful it was, how lively the atmosphere felt in comparison to this dull garage-like unit. Mamoru’s apartment wasn’t as vibrant as the lounge, but his presence made her feel happy at his place. As she sat in the Earth Biotech jet, however, there was a rather upsetting ambience, as if the mood had been dampened. She gulped and looked out the window next to her seat.

Mamoru smiled up at her from down on the grey cement, and waved at her. Usagi felt her own lips curve into a grin and she waved back, feeling the engine roar to life from underneath her.

“Usagi, we’re about to take off,” Ami said from next to her. “You should put on your seatbelt.”

“Right,” Usagi nodded and clicked her seatbelt shut, leaning back in the white leather seat.

The jet took off, leaving Earth Biotech behind as Minako and Haruka controlled the machine. Usagi watched as the large building eventually became a barely visible speck, more and more clouds shrouding the company. She glanced back at Ami and pursed her lips slightly.

“We’re going to Tomoe Industries,” Michiru said gently across from her, interrupting Usagi’s thoughts. “We’re going to take the holy grail from them, then return back to Earth Biotech. You won’t have to do much.”

Usagi gaped at the turquoise-haired senshi, her eyes wide. She was going to ask Ami what they were going to do, but Michiru had answered her question. “Can you read minds?” she asked in awe.

Ami glanced at the dark blue senshi and the wonder-eyed droid, as if worried. Michiru raised an eyebrow, slightly confused, but then burst into soft peals of laughter, shaking her head. “You _are_ quite something, aren’t you?”

The mood felt less tense than it had before, and Usagi smiled, her shoulders relaxing. “I guess so!”

The dark blue senshi ran a hand through her wavy hair, leaning back into her chair. “Has anyone told you about the story of the war?”

“No, not yet,” Usagi shook her head. “I just know that we’re Earth Biotech and we’re the good guys?

“That’s right,” Makoto nodded, grinning from across the aisle. “We’re basically the ones who want the Earth intact, y’know? We’re trying to keep the baddies from hurting our planet.”

“What exactly are they trying to do?” Usagi leaned forward, propping her hands onto her knees.

“Destroy,” Rei said darkly from next to Makoto, looking out her own window. She turned to the other senshi, her violet eyes concerned. “Usagi, Tomoe Industries began their work by using normal civilians as subjects for their experiments.”

“They used those innocent people for genetic manipulation experiments,” Ami added quietly. “They claimed they were making ‘superbeings’, that they were restoring the human race ‘back to its former glory’.”

Usagi gulped. She hadn’t expected Tomoe Industries to be so... _scary._ Her toes curled slightly as she listened, feeling less and less confident about the mission now.

“Were you…” she hesitated, unsure of how to ask, “...able to save the people taken?”

“We thought they were just deranged human scientists with too much funding,” Makoto shook her head, her brown ponytails swishing back and forth. “When we first attacked their building, though, it was obvious that they had some extra help.”

“What extra help?”

Makoto pursed her lips and tried to avoid the droid’s gaze. Makoto hesitated, knowing that they were frightening the droid, but she went on, knowing that Usagi had to hear the truth.

“Help from outer space. Extraterrestrials, which are immune to Earth technology.”

“Oh.” Usagi blinked and leaned back in her chair. “What can _we_ do, then?”

“We’ve only been stopping the Daimons,” Ami replied. “Daimons are inanimate objects fused with some type of genetically-altered egg. They’re usually the monsters grabbing the humans, and so we defeat them, preventing their regeneration.” the blue senshi sighed and shook her head. “I don’t know how many we can keep defeating, though.”

“They’ve been quiet on the front so far,” Rei reminded her.

“Does that mean they’ve stopped taking people?” Usagi asked, her tone hopeful.

“It seems like it, yes.” Ami nodded. “There has been a strong decline in the weekly number of Daimon encounters, but we still have every right to be cautious - they could be planning something big.”

“Like the so-called ‘mass-super-weapon’,” said Makoto. “Setsuna says that Tomoe’s creating something _big_ , but,” she glanced at Michiru, “we don’t know _what_ exactly.”

“What can we do, then?” Usagi repeated, now frowning slightly. “Can we save the kidnapped people from there? Take them back to their homes?”

“Even if we do, we can’t reverse the harm done to them,” Michiru spoke up, now facing the blond droid. “The only way we can save them is if we have the holy grail.”

“The holy grail?”

“‘Considered to be the most powerful entity of the world, it is said that whoever uses the grail has infinite power, free to use it in whichever manner they desire,’” Michiru recited. “It’s the only thing that can save those corrupted humans, and defeat Tomoe Industries.”

“That’s great!” Usagi’s face broke into a smile. “Where is it?”

The jet engine let out a loud sound of exhaust, and the senshi felt themselves lowering back onto the Earth’s surface. Michiru glanced out the window and nodded at the other senshi.

“I believe we’re about to find out.”

~*~*~*

Tomoe Industries looked much more intimidating than Usagi thought it would. From her hiding spot behind the jet, she could barely make out minute details but could see the entrance nonetheless.

A tall, black building with wilting vines twisting around the front gate gave Tomoe Industries an unwelcome look, along with the two guards stationed by the rusty iron gates. Usagi shrunk slightly at the alert and vigilant guards and glanced back at the senshi, who were huddled beside her.

“Daimons,” Rei murmured, peering at the guards.

“How are we going to get in?” Usagi asked, shuddering slightly. The air felt cold and damp, and the droid began rubbing her hands along her arms. She briefly remembered the green scarf she had picked up at the grocery store with Mamoru, wishing she had brought it on the mission. None of the senshi, however, seemed affected by the weather and Usagi briefly considered if she could ask to stay in the jet.

“We must take care of those two first,” Haruka whispered, pointing at the guards, but Ami shook her head, her blue eyes scanning the content of her blue mini-computer.

“No,” she didn’t look up from her computer, “we can’t.”

“Yes, we can,” Haruka frowned, pointing at the gates. “We can overpower them.”

“There’s hundreds more inside - they’ll hear us,” Ami turned her computer to show the sandy-haired senshi, who leaned in and squinted at the screen. “We can’t afford to attract attention to ourselves, otherwise we’ll be outnumbered.”

“We can sneak in,” Minako suggested, turning to stare at the building. After a few moments she pointed to the left of the building. A brick wall surrounded the perimeter she was pointing to, higher than any of the senshi.

“We’ll need to help each other get over,” Rei pointed out, “Usagi, you’re going first since you’re the shortest.”

“W-What?” Usagi blinked, backing away slightly. “I don’t-- I thought--”

“We’ll take care of it,” Makoto took the short droid’s hand in hers, squeezing it reassuringly. “You just need to stick with us, and we’ll handle everything, okay?”

Makoto’s soothing words helped Usagi as the senshi helped her over the wall, but didn’t calm her nerves once they entered the factory. After each of them had made it over the wall, they quietly, one by one, entered through the side door and headed inside the building. They passed door after door as they walked down the main white hallway, the flickering lights making the droid more and more nervous with every step. Each door held a different room, a different range of possibilities that could be present, and Usagi’s mixed fear and curiosity gave her an upset stomach.

As they passed a purple door with the words “Daimon subjects F6” barely visible under a scratched out surface, Ami’s computer gave a quiet beep. The senshi halted and glanced at the door as Ami typed, her blue eyes quickly scanning the screen.

“Is the grail in there?” Michiru asked, pressing her thin gloved fingers against the door and leaning in. “I don’t hear anything.”

“No,” Ami shook her head and lowered her arm, looking at the door. “It’s a strong power, almost as powerful as the grail, but it isn’t it.”

Michiru glanced at Haruka and the two nodded, their focus on the doorknob. “We should confront it. It could be their way of disguising the grail.”

“Wait!” Makoto held up her hand. “We shouldn’t open it immediately - it could be dangerous!”

Rei nodded, glancing at the door. “I can try and sense--”

“Setsuna wanted us to get results if we couldn’t get the grail,” Haruka interrupted her impatiently, now pressing her own ear against the door. “We’re getting results.”

Without another word, the two senshi kicked the door down to reveal a dark black room, small dim string lights illuminating the ceiling. Haruka and Michiru immediately held up their arms in defense, ready to fight, but the room was empty save for a large bed and a dresser drawer. The Sector 1 senshi walked in behind the other two, confused.

“What is this place?” Usagi asked. The bed and dresser drawer gave it the feel of a bedroom, but Usagi couldn’t see how anyone could live in such a dark and eerie place like this.

“It’s….just a room,” Minako said, her puzzled expression mirroring her colleagues’.

“I don’t understand,” said Ami, looking around the room. “The power is coming from here, yet--”  
“What are you doing here??”

The senshi turned to see a thin girl with shoulder-length black hair staring at them in the doorway, her fists clenched against her chest as she backed away. Her purple eyes shone with fear as she took in the sight of all the senshi standing in front of her, and she pointed at them with pale fingers. “You shouldn’t be here!”

“She must be one of the humans they kidnapped!” Usagi exclaimed, reaching out to grab the girl. “We have to get her out--”

Usagi was cut off by the girl letting out a small cry of pain. She sunk down to the bedroom floor, her body shaking as she began hyperventilating, sweat forming on her pale skin.

“What’s wrong?” Ami pushed through the senshi, kneeling down beside the girl. “Miss, what’s--”

“Leave me, please!” the girl weakly pushed Ami, her body shaking as she coughed. “Y-You shouldn’t be here. Leave now!”

“She needs urgent medical care,” Ami stated, her gloved hand now checking the girl’s pulse and skin. “She’s exhibiting symptoms of shock.”

“We could take her back to Earth Biotech!” Usagi wrapped her arm around the girl’s waist in an attempt to pull her up on her feet.

“That’s not a good idea,” Michiru frowned, glancing back at the door. “We came here to get the grail or any information Tomoe has on it. We don’t know what she is.”

“But she’s hurt!” Usagi protested, but the turquoise-haired senshi shook her head.

“We can’t afford any setbacks!” Haruka hissed, and pointed at the door. “C’mon, let’s--”

Haruka was cut off by a loud blast through the wall, throwing all the senshi in different directions. Usagi pulled the dark-haired girl out of the way and held up her hand in an attempt to shield herself, the unconscious girl still in her arms. Crushed cement and debris littered the bedroom floor, covering the senshi in heavy piles. Dark smoke obscured the area and a loud alarm was sounded, ringing through the hallway.

“Usagi!” Rei called out. “Are you alright?”

“Yes--!” Usagi replied, wincing as she pulled one of her ponytails out from underneath a pile of rubble. “Rei--”

Another loud blast interrupted her, the room now covered in more rubble. A small groan came from by Usagi and she looked down, the girl clutching her chest and gasping for air, her expression pained.

“We have to get out!” Minako’s voice commanded over the alarm, helping the Sector 1 senshi out of the wreckage. “Haruka, Michiru, we can come for the grail later--”

“Ah, the grail?” a new voice asked.

The senshi turned and saw a tall, red-haired woman in a white lab coat standing before them in the hall, arms crossed and a thin eyebrow raised. Despite the fact that the building was shaking, she stood firm and tall, as if unaffected. “This is fantastic - Earth Biotech thinks we have the grail?”

“Kaorinite!” the child called out beside Usagi, her thin face supporting an angry expression. “You can’t do this! Let them out!”

“Oh, but what’s the fun in that?” Kaorinite asked. She reached up to her face and took off a gold earring, raising it above the ground. “Are you ready to die here, senshi?”

Haruka opened her mouth to respond but closed it immediately, shaking her head and lunging forward to attack the woman. Michiru followed suit - not as quickly as her partner, but agile enough.

 _“Deep Submerge!”_ thin streams of dark blue water gathered in Michiru’s hands and she pushed them forward. Kaorinite, who had been distracted by Haruka, was caught off-guard and she screamed at the sudden attack, her smirk replaced by a furious scowl and the earring in her hand dissipating into a cloud of smoke.

“We don’t have the grail, so you’re wasting your time,” she spat, and whirled something into the hall floor, the ends of her lips curving into a smile again. “Have fun, sailor senshis, Hotaru.”

Rei frowned, squinting at the hall. “What is--”

“It’s an egg!” Minako yelled, pulling a coughing Ami out from under the ruins. “Look out!”

 _“World Shaking!!_ ” Haruka thrust her fist into the ground, causing the floor to crack and divide, the egg rolling back and forth towards the gaps.

“No!” Ami called out, reaching for the egg. “If it falls inside, it can fuse with the building!!”

Usagi glanced at the egg and then turned, watching the senshi stumble and trip over the falling ceiling. She looked around her for something to use that could help the senshi or prevent the egg from falling, but only rocks and collapsed walls surrounded her. She bit her lip and quickly turned from side to side, desperately looking for something to help the senshi.

 _I can’t help. I can’t help. I’m supposed to be some big deal, but I--_   
Ami’s cry interrupted the droid’s thoughts. “The egg!! Watch out!”

...

_No. I will help._

Usagi didn’t think twice. She immediately lunged towards the hallway, wincing as falling rocks hit her but keeping her arms wide for the egg, which was barely balancing off the crumbling floor. A large piece of debris rolled over and she grabbed the egg at once, keeping it against her chest and rolling away from where Kaorinite threw it. Usagi flinched as she felt a heavy rock fall onto her ankle, blinding pain searing through her foot. She glanced down at the white egg and scrambled to her feet, back against the wall. Minako smiled at her from inside the room, giving her a brief thumbs-up before another deafening explosion took down half of the room.

“Evacuate immediately!” Michiru shouted over the alarm, waving to her partner and the Sector 1 senshi.

As Setsuna’s senshi left the room, Usagi held up the small object in her hand. She glanced back at the room, where the Sector 1 senshi were helping up the child.

“SRNT, keep that egg!” Michiru yelled out over her shoulder. “The geneticists at Earth Biotech can look at it - leave that girl, Minako!”

“We won’t just leave her!” Minako snapped as she came out of the room, her and Makoto both supporting the girl with each of their arms. “I don’t care what Setsuna says, we are _not_ just leaving her!”

The two senshi seemed dissatisfied with Minako’s response but neither replied and simply kept running, all of them quiet until they left the building.

~*~*~*

To say Mamoru was nervous was an understatement. Usagi and the senshi had been gone all day now, which wasn’t strange for a mission of that importance, but there had been no news on the front, no noise coming from the jet they had used to reach Tomoe Industries. Mamoru didn’t doubt that the senshi were strong and powerful, as he was involved in the plans of creating the Sector 1 senshi and knew that they were dedicated to the cause. However that didn’t stop him from worrying as the sun lowered and the sky darkened.

“Are they back yet?” Setsuna asked, entering the garage unit, hands in lab coat. Mamoru shook his head in response and looked up at the sky, where the evening stars were coming into view. Mamoru had believed that if he finished his work early, then he and Usagi could go home together and make dinner. He had planned on showing her a new recipe - something that included pasta, as she always showed interest in the dry, unboiled pasta in his pantry. He wanted to celebrate her first mission, but with every additional minute he grew more and more worried, unsure if she was alright.

“Ah, here they come.”

Mamoru looked up at the jet that was coming into view, slowly descending onto the ground outside the garage. It entered the unit and let out a roar as the engine died down, the wings lowering and folding to the side of the vehicle.

The jet emitted a puff of smoke as the door opened, and the senshi came into view, one by one climbing down the stairs and onto the ground. Mamoru and Setsuna hurried over, arms open and ready to help them.

“How did it go?” Setsuna asked Haruka, who was the first to reach the ground of the garage. “Did you find the grail?”

“They don’t have it,” Haruka let out a small cough and wiped a trail of sweat off her forehead. Mamoru noticed that she had scratches and bruises on her arms and looked up at the staircase, where the rest of the senshi seemed defeated and exhausted.

“Are you alright?” Mamoru asked, eyebrows narrowing. “Did you encounter a Daimon?”

“No, but we found something else.” Michiru joined her partner and nodded her head in the direction of the Sector 1 senshi, who were helping a small, gaunt girl down the stairs, her tired purple eyes wearily scanning the environment around her.

“Who’s that?” Setsuna demanded, crossing her arms. “She doesn’t look familiar.”

“We don’t know - she lived in one of the rooms in Tomoe Industries, though.”

“That’s not all we brought, though.”

“What did--”

“Mamoru!” Usagi’s cheerful voice broke the conversation as she limped over, hugging him tightly. Mamoru winced slightly as he realized the droid had injuries of her own, but smiled when she looked up at him. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah!” she said brightly, despite a few burns being prominent on her skin. “I hurt my ankle, but we brought back something!”

“A woman named Kaorinite appeared and threw a Daimon egg at us,” Haruka said. “SRNT caught it before it fused with the entire building, and we brought it for testing and examination.”

Setsuna nodded as Usagi proudly held up the egg. “Very well. Send it to the genetics department, and,” she glanced at the half-conscious girl the senshi were supporting, “keep her in one of the waiting rooms. We don’t know who - or _what_ \- she is.”

“Setsuna!” Rei called out, leaving the Sector 1 senshi to face her boss. “We shouldn’t leave her. Ami’s computer picked up certain signals from her - it claimed she was almost as powerful as the grail.”

“She was in Tomoe Industries for a reason,” Ami added. “The genetics department should study her as well, but not before she gets proper medical treatment. She’s very fragile.”

Setsuna shook her head. “I won’t allow it. We don’t know what she is.”

“That’s exactly why we need to know!” Makoto stated from behind them, helping her leader carry the child. “She could help us.”

“We’ll discuss this after you senshi are fixed up,” Setsuna was quiet for a moment before turning. “But next time, remember that you’re not supposed to _think_ about the mission, you’re supposed to just _follow_ it.”

The unit was quiet as Setsuna and her senshi exited. Mamoru let out a small sigh and gestured to the door that led back to the main building.

“Let’s get you guys fixed up.”

He was met with collective, exhausted groans as a response as he opened the door for the Sector 1 Senshi. Usagi grabbed onto Mamoru’s arm with her free hand and tried not to put too much pressure on her ankle, which seemed to throb whenever she walked on it.

Mamoru glanced at her, worry etched on his face. “Usagi, is your foot alright?”

“Yeah!” she nodded enthusiastically. “I just can’t really put too much weight on it, otherwise it really hurts. That’s okay, though, right?”

“No, no it’s not.”

“It’s also bleeding a bit - is that okay?”

The genetic engineer hesitated but kneeled down, gingerly taking her foot and examining it. “Your chip is sticking out, and it seems like you might have a sprain or a tendon injury.” Mamoru gestured to his back. “C’mon, I’ll carry you to medical.”

The droid blinked and nodded before climbing onto her friend’s back, letting out a small yelp as he straightened up, hooking his arms under her legs.

After a few steps into the building, Usagi hummed as she wrapped her arms around his neck. “I think I prefer your motorcycle. This form of transportation seems to be a bit too slow.”

Mamoru rolled his eyes but couldn’t help laughing for the first time that day.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DID Y’ALL THINK I ABANDONED THIS
> 
> Joking aside, I really am sorry for my irregular updates. Y’all have been amazingly patient, every comment and kudos fills my heart with joy. Thanks to Liz for beta'ing this chapter!
> 
> Enjoy Chapter 5!

 “Aaaaaaaaaaand there we are! Good as new.”

Kunzite, Usagi and Mamoru were in a small room in the medical center, Kunzite fixing Usagi’s foot. Mamoru was technically the one who was supposed to mend it, but he made some excuse about not having the proper equipment and carried her straight to Kunzite’s office, who he knew would be able to repair her ankle with a steady hand. The truth was, her injury was worse than he initially thought it was, and Mamoru was scared of messing up her foot further than it already was - he didn’t want to render her unable to walk. The whole time his friend was tending to Usagi’s foot, Mamoru was staring at the cream-colored tiled floor, hoping that not looking at her foot would somehow miraculously prevent any jinx from permanently ruining her ability to move.  

Usagi wiggled her toes slightly. “It doesn’t seem any different.”

“Try rotating your foot, since the ankle was where you had some damage,” Kunzite replied. Usagi did as he suggested and her expression brightened, her foot swaying from side to side.

“There’s no pain!” she exclaimed happily. Kunzite pulled off his glove and threw it in the trash beside his seat, a small smile on his face.

“So are you _sure_ she’s alright?” Mamoru asked, his eyes now not leaving her ankle. As grateful as he was for Kunzite being in his office so late in the evening, the situation at hand did not help to calm his nerves. He gulped and rubbed his sweaty palms on the outside of his jacket sleeve, trying to slow down his rapidly beating heart. “Usagi’s chip was sticking out earlier, and a sprain like that could be terrible given her condition.”

“It looks fine to me, honestly,” Kunzite said, standing up, “I don’t think it should give you any further problems, though.”

“Thank you, Kunzite!” Usagi lunged forward, hugging the silver-haired man, “I appreciate it.”

“It’s no problem at all,” Kunzite nodded, patting her gently on the head. “Just be careful next time.”

“That’s right,” Mamoru added, “I can’t believe you just ran in like that.”

“There was a girl in trouble, Mamoru,” Usagi sighed, “I couldn’t just leave her.”

“Setsuna is right, though, you don’t know who - or _what_ \- she is.”

Usagi frowned. “Ami said she had lots of power surrounding her, power which was almost as strong as the grail. That means her life is important.”

“So is _your_ life, Usagi!” Mamoru retorted. “You’re important, too, because--”

_“Because why?”_ he thought, _“Because you’re supposed to be the Messiah? Because you underwent a rushed regeneration so you can end this war?”_

The room was silent before Kunzite coughed quietly, patting Usagi on the shoulder. “You’re just as important as the rest of the senshi, Usagi - we’re just as upset that the ambush you guys experienced injured the Sector 1 senshi.”

“Yes,” Mamoru whispered quietly, “Sorry, Usagi.”

Usagi just nodded silently and turned to Mamoru. “Shall we go see Setsuna, then?”

A surge of guilt rushed through Mamoru at his outburst and he offered his hand, giving a small nod. “Yeah, let’s go.”

* * *

At first Mamoru thought the long, awkward walk with Usagi to Setsuna’s office was the most unpleasant feeling he had ever experienced - second to the one time his lab partner in grad school drunkenly tried to ask him out on a date in front of their entire research group at their end-of-the-year social, her voice amplified by the microphone she was holding onstage - he shuddered briefly at the memory, not wanting to relive that particular flashback at the moment. He later realized that everything felt much worse when he was standing in Setsuna’s office, the pressure of both sides of the room uncomfortable. Although the senshi were all fixed and their injuries from the ambush treated, their adamant and clashing behaviors were now making the whole setting rather distressing.

“You can’t be serious.” Haruka broke the silent tension in the room, her expression one of disbelief, “You actually want to _talk_ to the girl?”

“Yes.” Rei spoke, “She may know something about the grail or about Tomoe.”

“She might as well be a ticking time bomb,” Michiru retorted, “You all must admit is something extremely odd about her.”

“You could be putting us all at risk.” Haruka added.

“She could be helpful in understanding what Tomoe is trying to do, what the ‘mass-super-weapon’ he’s planning on making is,” Minako replied, her previously-nervous disposition towards Haruka and Michiru now replaced with pure determination, a look Mamoru could not ever remember seeing on her before, “She seemed to know Kaorinite - didn’t you say she was Tomoe’s second-in-command?”

Setsuna sat back in her chair, her fist resting against her lips as she thought for a moment. “Yes, she is.”

“If she knows who Kaorinite is, she might know enough about Tomoe and his plans,” Ami added.

“She might not - she could be a trap that Tomoe intentionally set,” Michiru argued, “She could break us from the inside, allowing them to invade us.”

“She’s just a child,” Usagi broke in, “She _must_ be innocent in all of this!”

“How many times must I repeat this - as senshi, you are not supposed to _think_ about the mission, you’re supposed to follow it!”

Silence flooded through the small office again, this time the Sector 1 senshi staring in shock at Setsuna, who buried her face in her hands and let out a groan.

“I’m sorry, but you all know what I meant,” she said, looking up at the senshi, “All of you were designed for war, and although strategy is incorporated in your genetics, you know what happens to senshi who allow their emotions to overcome their logic.”

Mamoru knew what she was talking about, and judging the way the Sector 1 senshi’s shocked expressions turned to those of solemnity, so did they. Usagi was the only one whose face wore a confused look, and Mamoru squeezed her hand gently when she opened her mouth to ask. He shook his head when she looked up at him, puzzled, hoping that he was indicating that now was not the right time. She stared at him for a moment before nodding, unsatisfied, but looked back at Setsuna and the senshi.

“It’s very late,” Setsuna added, gesturing to the clock above her desk, which revealed that it was nearly midnight, “The very least we should do is sleep on this before deciding what to do.”

“Setsuna, with all due respect,” Minako said, “I think we have been senshi for long enough that we can handle ourselves and our emotions properly.”

“Minako is right,” Makoto said, “It wouldn’t hurt to see what she knows, especially if she’s close to Tomoe.”

Michiru and Haruka seemed displeased at the Sector 1 senshi’s persistence, but they turned to Setsuna, who simply sighed after a few moments silence. “I hope you know that you could be walking straight into their trap.”

“She’s just a child,” Ami repeated, “The geneticists are studying her at the moment, but she must be innocent in all of this.”

“Do all what you like,” Setsuna replied, “I disapprove, but I cannot stop you. This meeting is adjourned.”

That evening, the Sector 1 senshi, Mamoru, and Usagi visited the girl they rescued from Tomoe Industries. Once again, Setsuna, Haruka and Michiru all voiced their disapproval over their decision to go talk to her as Setsuna left the building for the evening and the senshi left for their sector, but the three of them knew that their behavior towards that would not change the way the Sector 1 senshi felt.

Once they were all transported to the genetics labs and past the multiple security fields, they were inside the main lab that Mamoru worked in. The girl’s room was the only one that had the light on, and Ami knocked on the door before they entered.

Inside the small white room, the young girl was laying in her bed, looking less pale and fragile than she had back at Tomoe Industries. A blood pressure cuff was linked around her left arm and to a machine, and two IVs were stuck in her right arm. Mamoru noticed the two solutions - normal saline and a type-O blood transfusion, indicating that she was in danger of undergoing hypovolemic shock. Her mouth opened slightly in surprise as the senshi walked in her room, and her gaze hovered at Mamoru for a brief moment before she turned back to the warriors. She looked down at her intertwined fingers which were resting on her lap.

“I suppose you’re going to use me for information,” she said quietly.  

“How are you feeling, miss?” Ami asked the girl, ignoring her first statement, “Has your pain subsided?”

The girl looked up at her in surprise and nodded slightly. “Yes, I am - thank you.”

“What is your name, miss?”

“Hotaru,” the girl paused for a moment, and then looked down at her hands again, “Hotaru Tomoe.”

There was an awkward silence as the girls and Mamoru took in the fact that Hotaru shared Tomoe’s last name, a response that did not escape her eye.

“Yes, my father is Souichi Tomoe,” Hotaru said, looking up, “My father is the man in charge of Tomoe Industries.”

“Hotaru,” Makoto sat at Hotaru’s bedside, “does your father know where the holy grail is?”

“I don’t know, he doesn’t tell me very much about the grail except for how much better we will be after he finds it,” Hotaru leaned forward, taking Makoto’s hand, “You have to save him, though! He wasn’t always like this, I promise - he’s been corrupted!”

“What do you mean?” Usagi spoke up for the first time since they left Setsuna’s office. Hotaru’s focus turned to Usagi, her eyes widening in realization.

“You were the one there, at the lab,” Hotaru said, pointing at her, her expression now serious, “You were the one that held the Daimon egg that Kaori threw!”

“Is there something bad about holding it?” Minako asked, now walking over to Usagi’s side.

“Y-You’re not supposed to hold it by yourself,” Hotaru explained, her face now turning pale with worry, “You need special protection to hold it, as that’s how a Daimon is formed. Once the egg comes into contact with an object, it fuses, but the actual Daimon isn’t awakened until someone touches the cursed object.”

“But it wasn’t fused with an object,” Rei replied, “It was just a naked Daimon egg.”

“That’s the problem!” Hotaru threw her arms out, her eyes wide, before she collapsed forward, her hands near her chest as she breathed heavily, sweat rolling down the side of her face. The senshi moved forward to help, but Ami was the fastest, her arm resting on her back as the young girl gasped for air and coughed, her body shaking.

“Breathe, Hotaru,” Ami commanded, her voice firm as she glanced back at the monitor Hotaru was hooked up to, “Slowly, in and out.”

Hotaru’s breathing began to slow down and she rubbed her hands along her arms, shivering slightly. Makoto fetched another blanket from the blanket warmer in the hallway of the lab and wrapped it around the girl’s arms in an attempt to keep her warm. “No rush,” she told her quietly.

Once Hotaru calmed down, she looked back up at Usagi, her appearance exhausted. “Normal humans can’t hold a Daimon egg by itself anymore, as they’re genetically engineering them to fuse with humans, as well.”

“But I’m not a human, either,” Usagi frowned, “I’m a droid, just like the senshi.”

“But your genetics and emotions are made to mirror those of humans’, right?” Hotaru asked, “That’s what the egg manipulates.”

“Hold on,” Minako interrupted, “We’ve seen Daimon awakenings before - if Usagi was corrupted by a Daimon egg, the change would be immediate. She’s still the same - I’d say she’s fine.”

Hotaru glanced at Usagi, her worry now replaced by confusion, “How….how have you not transformed yet?”

“Should I get checked?” Usagi asked, now looking at Mamoru and Ami anxiously, but Hotaru shook her head.

“The transformation is immediate - I saw it the day my father changed,” the young girl looked down at her lap, tears threatening to spill from her eyes as she tucked a wisp of black hair behind her ear, “My mother had passed away when I was young, but my father always tried to keep me safe and happy. One day there was an accident in his laboratory that he saved me from, but from that moment on I could sense there was something off about him, just something about his mood had darkened, and this one precious Daimon egg that he kept for his special project was suddenly gone.” Hotaru started to cry, rubbing her eyes as tears started streaking across her cheeks, “He had used it on himself.”

“Hotaru,” Rei said gently, “Do you know if there is anyone, possibly from. . .outer space who is involved with your father?”

“O-Outer space?” Hotaru sniffled, looking up at the red senshi, “No, not at all, everyone at Tomoe Industries looks human to me - I-I wouldn’t know--”

“That’s alright,” Makoto said, offering a hand to her, “Hotaru, you’ve done great today. We will definitely try to fix this and save your father, we promise.”

The young girl blinked, “R-Really?”

“Really. We will also keep you safe here until everything is fixed.”

Usagi simply nodded when Hotaru looked at all of them for reassurance before the young girl gave them all a genuine, grateful smile. “Thank you, thank you all.”

“We’ll let you rest for now, alright?” Ami patted her on the shoulder as Mamoru opened the door for the senshi, who began to leave Hotaru’s room, “Thank you for helping us.”

“No, thank you for helping me and my father,” Hotaru replied as the door behind the senshi closed.

* * *

 

“Mamoru? Can I ask you something?”

Mamoru looked up from his book - a fascinating read about the effects of epigenetic changes on non-human animals - to see a nervous Usagi standing in his bedroom doorway. Her shoulders were tense and her lips pursed, but Mamoru was more shocked at the idea that she had even said anything. It wasn’t until after the geneticist and the droid reached home at nearly 3 in the morning that Usagi spoke again, having been quiet for most of the day, giving a small “good night” before she closed her bedroom door behind her. Mamoru kept twisting and turning, unable to sleep after the entire day’s events that he had resorted to reading, with a small voice at the back of his head wondering how Usagi was doing after all she had seen today. Now she was avoiding eye contact with him and her right hand gripping her left arm, shifting awkwardly as she stood in front of him.

Mamoru put aside the book, not bothering to bookmark the page he was on. “Sure, what is it?”

“What did Setsuna mean when senshi were not supposed to feel emotions?”

Oh.

“Erm,” Mamoru hesitated, “I’m not sure how to start, Usagi, it’s kind of hard to explain.”

Usagi only blinked in response, so Mamoru continued, “Setsuna was talking about these droids that had become too over-emotional back when senshi production was first beginning. One thing to know about senshi droids is that their core mechanism, called the “star seed”, is what powers their system, it allows them to move, breathe, fight, laugh, everything - it powers everything that they do.”

“Do I have one?” Usagi asked, her eyes now wide and curious as she moved forward and sat at the end of the bed. “Do I have a star seed?”

“I would imagine, yes,” Mamoru nodded, “No one sees active star seeds unless they have been extracted from the senshi, and doing something like that would kill the senshi.”

“Can senshi take out their own star seed?”

Mamoru shrugged. “It’s never been seen tried before, I don’t think. Senshi are too scared of taking it out - it would be analogous to a human taking out their heart with their bare hands.”

Usagi flinched at the idea of a person grabbing into their chest and pulling out a beating heart. “How do you know star seeds exist if no one has seen them?”

“They were extracted from the corrupt senshi after they were defeated,” Mamoru explained, “I hadn’t seen them up close, but some of the senshi droids had become too emotional, and they would start wreaking havoc upon the company, declaring that they were doing it to keep everyone safe. Once defeated, their star seed would be extracted, and it would be revealed to be black, charred,” the geneticist looked away from the droid, “corrupted. These senshi were called ‘phages’ because of how their emotions acted like viruses, invading and ruining their systems.”

“Maybe they were black to begin with?” Usagi questioned, but Mamoru shook his head.

“Although no one has seen an active star seed before, it’s an ancient concept,” Mamoru slid off of his bed - he wasn’t going to sleep tonight anyways - and bent down to his bedside bookshelf, pulling out a dark blue book before sitting beside the droid. Usagi shifted closer to him, peering curiously over his shoulder as he flipped the book open to a page that had a picture of a transparent, light grey diamond with a small sphere of light shining inside of it. The diamond hovered over a yellow flower in the picture, with the words “STAR SEED” written in purple ink underneath the diagram.

“Star seeds were a concept thought of long before the war even started, and they mainly give the host life,” Mamoru said, flipping through the pages to show Usagi differently colored star seeds. “However, the human race was thought to have evolved out of having them, since no evidence of them existing in our genetics has come up. Senshi, on the other hand,” Mamoru turned the page, where a picture of the solar system spanned the two pages, “are thought of to represent their respective planets. Each planet has their own color and their own power, so their star seeds are thought of to be produced by their planets.” Mamoru closed the book and put it on his bedside table, shrugging and smiling at Usagi, “But it’s all so confusing and contradictory at times - their existence has been debated for centuries by scientists; all we know at Earth Biotech is that we make the senshi, and their star seed is just magically produced, by itself. We have no idea how it happens.”

“And the phages? What about their powers?”

“The reason those phages didn’t work is probably because they were so overpowered by their emotions that they became imbalanced. Their feelings acted like poison, overcoming their logic and thoughts until their star seeds blackened with corruption, as Setsuna suggested.”

“Can’t you purify them afterwards, though?” the droid pressed, “You can’t just let them die, can you?”

Mamoru, slightly taken back by her interest, winced slightly. “They’re…..incinerated, Usagi.”

The droid was silent for a few moments, her eyes wide as she took in what Mamoru said before she looked down at the bed, crestfallen. Mamoru was about to offer some ice cream or the reassurance that only a few phages were produced before she spoke again.

“What about humans, or the animals on Earth? What gives them life?”

“Hmm,” he tapped his finger on his chin, secretly grateful for the subject change, “Physically, their entire body and its’ systems. Metaphorically - things they like? I don’t know - favorite television shows, happy memories?” Mamoru glanced at her, giving her a small smile, “Favorite desserts?”

The droid giggled and Mamoru felt a surge of relief flow through him. He was afraid Usagi had been traumatized beyond repair by all that she had experienced in the past twenty-four hours, and he wasn’t sure exactly how one consoled droids. He felt completely useless as Usagi followed the Sector 1 senshi with a frazzled and lost look, looking near the breaking point once they left Earth Biotech to go home at Ami’s insistence.

“Mamoru?”

“Yes?”  
  
“Do we have any ice cream left?” Usagi fell back on Mamoru’s bed, “Today was exhausting.”

Mamoru laughed, “I’ll be right back.”

A few minutes later, Mamoru returned to his room with two spoons and a tub of double chocolate chip ice cream. “Good news, I--”

The geneticist was cut off by a quiet snore; Mamoru looked down and saw Usagi curled up in a ball in his bed, her arms wrapped around one of his pillows. He blinked for a few moments before smiling, setting the ice cream and spoons down, and pulling his covers over the sleeping droid. After putting the ice cream back in the freezer, he sat back in his bed beside Usagi and flipped open his epigenetics book back to his previous spot, but was unable to concentrate due to the little droid next to him.

Usagi seemed so peaceful, so much like a normal girl, when she slept. The rest of the senshi looked like human women, just as she did, but there was something _human_ about her. Usagi had come straight through a rushed regeneration perfectly, passing her daily checkups and training with the senshi, and yet she was so imperfect in the way she cared about the Earth and the life on it, the way she learned about the way humans interacted everyday. He adored her passion for life, and, though he was proud of the way she had saved the senshi at Tomoe Industries, he was also very worried about the way she just went to save someone she didn’t know, how willing she was to face immediate danger in order to save everyone else.

Mamoru shifted, his head now resting against his propped up arm and his free hand gently brushing her bangs aside, the golden moon on her forehead shining in the dim light given off by his bedside lamp.

His heart would skip a beat at the way her face would light up whenever he’d offer to buy more cookies, and today he had felt entirely unhelpful as the day soured her usually-sunny aura. He wanted to allow her to do what she was created for, to fulfill her destiny, but there were boundaries. Droids had limits, right?

Another silent snore interrupted his thoughts and he glanced down at the sleeping blonde, who had rolled towards him and snuggled closer to his warmth. Mamoru caressed her bangs once again before he leaned forward.

“You’re important because I care about you, Usagi,” he whispered before kissing her on her forehead.


End file.
